Historical facts have never been my forte. However, Spanish author Roberto Ampuero’s fictional novel, The Neruda Case, provided the ideal opportunity for me to become better acquainted with Spanish and brush up on my geography.
Historical facts have never been my forte. However, Spanish author Roberto Ampuero’s fictional novel, The Neruda Case, provided the ideal opportunity for me to become better acquainted with Spanish and brush up on my geography.
The Neruda Case by Roberto Ampuero
Riverhead Books
Published by the Penguin Group
ISBN 978-1-59463-147-4
Price R130
Reviewer: Sarah Cohen
Rating: 3.5/5
The author’s first novel to be translated into English, it centres on an investigation requested by famous poet, Pablo Neruda.
Neruda sends Cayetano Brule, an inexperienced detective, to search for a Cuban oncologist whom Neruda met in the 1940s. The oncologist had been studying medicinal plants as potential cures for cancer, and Brule goes on search in the hopes of finding the doctor for Neruda.
But Neruda has a hidden agenda.
When this becomes clear, readers are presented with a moving and gripping story.
The journey takes the imagination to Mexico, Cuba, Bolivia and east Germany, creating a well-written and emotional political thriller smothered in romantic intrigue.
Ampuero outlines events in the 1970s when Chile was in political and economic turmoil, and President Salvador Allende’s socialist government was about to fall to a coup, giving rise to Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship.
Due to my poor historical knowledge I was unable to fully embrace the novel within the first few chapters. But after some research, I was quickly drawn into this detailed and imaginative mystery and lively dialogue.
It became a spectacular page-turner I couldn’t put down.
Don’t think the book is only laden with serious events, though, it is spiced with humorous moments too.
Ampuero also captures emotions running high in the early 70s, and shows great admiration for Nobel literature laureate Neruda.
The book strikes a good balance between quickly-moving chapters and more leisurely sections.
I hope Ampuero translates more of his books into English, as this is like no book I’ve ever read!
To see more information about this book visit the Penguin Books website at www.penguinbooks.co.za
