954. The Feast of the Goat

The Feast of the Goat
Mario Vargas Llhosa

2000

Around 475 pages

Well, this wasn't as bad as the previous novel, but it stilled aimed to disturb me as much as possible, with its explicit descriptions of torture and sexual assault. 

Set in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s, the novel follows three plot lines. The first centers around  Urania Cabral, who returns to the Dominican Republic to visit her sick father. The second story line focuses on the last day in Rafael Trujillo's life. The third storyline depicts Trujillo's assassins as they wait for his car that night, and what happens to them after the killing.

Again, I get where Llhosa was going with this, with Urania's assault symbolizing Trujillo's hysterical violence against the country at the time. Llhosa is drawing connections between sexuality and power, and painting a vivid portrait of a very scary despot.

But it was a rough read and offers little hope to the reader, which I could have used about now.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Adapted to film in 2005.

UP NEXT: Atonement by Ian McEwan