La Materia del Deseo = The Essence of Desire

In his fifth novel, Paz Sold n, an acclaimed writer and Latin American literature professor at Cornell University (see ""Dreaming a New American Literature,"" Cr!ticas, Summer 2001), has created a story in which politics, technology, and passion converge to confuse and frustrate the protagonist's quest for reality. Pedro returns to his native R!o Fugitivo, a fictitious city in Bolivia, to investigate the death of his father, a leftist leader killed years before under that country's dictatorship. Pedro is also fleeing from an illicit relationship with one of his students at a U.S. university. His quest proves difficult, however, as he cannot decipher the leads to his father's killing and discovers that distance does not heal a lover's heart. The novel gives a solid sense of Pedro's dual existence as a Bolivian with a past in his native country and a life in the United States. Paz Sold n emphasizes Pedro's inability to find the truth about his father despite the many sources of information available to him, ranging from an actual manuscript left by the revolutionary leader to various high-tech resources. Throughout this captivating, well-written thriller, readers will find themselves as powerless and defenseless as the protagonist is to remove the many layers that disguise reality. Recommended for all libraries and bookstores. Irene Perez, Jersey City, NJ