Perdiendo el Tiempo Encontrado

Mexican Vald\xE9s has several books to his name, including short story collections and novels, one of which was made into a film (Gente como nosotros). This story begins with a man who has spent most of his life working in a funeral home who now, facing a mid-life crisis, seeks a way out of his quiet and generally uneventful existence. Because of a series of unusual events-and his own curiosity and loneliness-he ends up befriending ""the Professor,"" a man accused of being a serial rapist and killer and imprisoned for life. When the narrator learns that ""the Professor"" has been framed, he becomes an unlikely sleuth in order to help him get out of jail and is subsequently forced to reexamine several major events of recent Mexican history-beginning with the massacres of Tlatelolco in 1968 and the continued killing of women in Juarez. Priests, prostitutes, drug dealers, bodyguards, and CIA operatives all make appearances and add to the twists and turns. Despite the parade of madcap characters and their wacky and sometimes far-fetched circumstances, Vald\xE9s manages to anchor the narrative with values that run deep. By placing his characters (and, by extension, us) in unusual situations, the author aims to get us to reflect on our own limitations and prejudices. This book combines the best of all worlds for a fast and distracting read: sex, humor, and a bit of a thriller. Recommended for all libraries and bookstores. Catherine Rend\xF3n, Savannah, GA