The Ships

Guillermo, a pineapple harvester on a Honduran plantation owned by the U.S. Standard Fruit company, is the narrator of this unsatisfying coming-of-age novel set on the eve of the Sandinistas' 1979 victory in Nicaragua. Despite its political overtones, this is basically the story of a young man with ambitions to become a writer. Guillermo falls in love with Idalia, a union organizer at the plantation, but his Latin sexual standards doom the romance after Idalia turns the tables and aggressively pursues him. Meanwhile, the growing tension between the dissatisfied workers at the plantation and their North American employers culminates in a strike. The ongoing revolution in Nicaragua is ever-present in the background, but the focus on Guillermo's personal feelings dampens the impact of major events. Only when military exercises begin in Honduran airspace and Guillermo examines his bitterness toward U.S. domination of his country's politics is another dimension added here. Although its premise is promising, the novel suffers from unsubstantial character development and an unsuccessful use of experimental techniques. Quesada edits the Honduran literary review Sobrevuelo ; the original Spanish-language edition of this novel was published in 1988. (Sept.)