From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up–Young Paolo Poloverdos complex life is recounted in this translation of the winner of the French Prix Sorcieres. Set in a remote location in Chile, the story begins when a boys parents have their throats cut by a vagrant. In a rare moment of compassion, the murderer, Angel Allegros, decides not to kill the child. Paolos response to these events is curiously distant, as is the entire narrative. The boy is vaguely upset by, yet matter-of-fact about, his parents deaths. A second visitor, Luis Secunda, eventually appears and Paolo dispassionately asks Angel not to stab the man because he does not feel like digging another grave. The three settle into an uneasy routine, with the adults vying to be Paolos father figure. A necessary trip to buy livestock is the catalyst for a number of tragic and perhaps inevitable events, including betrayal, an attempted suicide, and capital punishment. The major plot line concerns Angels awakening conscience. Through his relationship with the boy, he begins to see the importance of life and love. While the books haunting, melancholy air will keep readers turning pages, the complex yet remote telling gives it the feel of South-American literature, which may hold more appeal for adults than for teens.–B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY
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*Starred Review* Gr. 9-12. Bondoux's latest novel is a haunting, provocative blend of allegory, gritty social commentary, and magic realism that, like David Almond's work, defies definition. The shocking contradictions begin with the first scene: a thief and murderer named Angel kills a farmer and his wife and settles into their home on the desolate tip of Chile. He spares the family's small son, Paolo, and surprises himself with the intense devotion he develops for the boy. Then a young, wealthy traveler arrives, and at Paolo's insistence, the stranger settles into the improbable household at the end of the earth. Eventually, the trio is pulled back into the wider world, and its fragile connections are threatened and torn. The symbolism occasionally feels too purposeful, the characters more representational than real. But Bondoux asks the largest questions about crime, punishment, and how souls can change in language that is both visceral and poetic, and with unsparing, emotional truth, she describes a world in which the morality of the heart doesn't always match the morality of civilized society. "Poets know how to transform things," says one character. "They look at the world and they absorb it like a drink. And then when they start talking, nothing is the same." Winner of France's prestigious Prix Sorcieres, this novel is filled with challenging ideas and potent language that will pull readers in new directions. Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved