Trajinar de Un Muerto

Mexican writer Pagano burst into the literary limelight in 1998 with her first book, Y si yo fuera Susana San Juan... (And If I Were Susana San Juan..., Conaculta, 1998), winner of the Premio Nacional de Novela Jos Rub n Romero. This impressive second novel confirms her exceptional talent as a writer of great originality. The story begins with the funeral of Lolo Manon, who was found murdered with 18 stab wounds in the living room of his Mexico City apartment. Then as his relatives and friends speculate on who might have killed Lolo and why, they collectively reveal the events leading up to his death. The residents of Lolo's apartment building, for instance, tell of a world fraught with domestic violence, oppression of women, alcoholism, corruption, and crime. Although the plot centers on the question of who did it, this is not merely a murder mystery but also a critique of the dark side of modern urban Mexico. Pagano's lively and memorable characters seem to leap off the page and speak out loud, and her black humor and irony will engage all readers. Recommended for public and academic libraries and bookstores with collections of popular fiction or modern Mexican literature.Lisa M. Reynolds, Indianapolis-Marion Cty. Pub. Lib.