Mario Vargas Llosa: CONVERSATION IN THE CATHEDRAL

Synopsis, from the back cover:

Conversation in The Cathedral takes place in 1950s Peru during the dictatorship of Manuel A. Odría. Over beers and a sea of freely spoken words, the conversation flows between two individuals, Santiago and Ambrosia, who talk of their tormented lives and of the overall degradation and frustration that has slowly taken over their town.

Through a complicated web of secrets and historical references, Mario Vargas Llosa analyzes the mental and moral mechanisms that govern power and the people behind it. More than a historic analysis, Conversation in The Cathedral is a groundbreaking novel that tackles identity as well as the role of a citizen and how a lack of personal freedom can forever scar a people and a nation.

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The story is told in a tumultuous and impressive way – in a way people talk informally when telling complicated stories. Different voices from different times speak at the same time as the conversation in The Cathedral between the two main characters is going on. It’s like that editing style one sees in well-edited movies. One has to be patient to go over this 601-page book and get used to style the author adopted to appreciate very well the genius the novel has to offer.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

{4 January 2010}