Break-In

The late Yglesias at his best was a warm-hearted, witty writer who brought an unusual cultural viewpoint--that of the Cuban-American who predated Castro--to his work. This, his final novel, is, alas, not his best, though the author's quirky charm does surface from time to time. Rudy Pardo is a retired Tampa fire chief of Latino background who has lived by himself since his wife died and his son became a petty crook and landed in jail. Into his life one day comes Munro Perkins, a tall, skinny black teenager who breaks into Rudy's house, then ""borrows"" his car for a drug deal. Despite a basically racist bent, Rudy takes to the boy, especially when he apologetically returns his car and cleans it; at least he is an improvement on his own fat, bumbling nephew. Step by awkward step, a sort of bond--though by no means a sentimental one--builds between them. This could have been a pleasantly offbeat parable for our times, but Yglesias's sense of character seems shaky: Rudy is too often inconsistent, nephew Stevie and his mother and aunt are too broadly drawn, and Munro is only occasionally convincing. But it's a relaxed, kindly book from a writer who has given much pleasure. (Apr.)