Twins Mario and Jose do not know how to cope with the hatred they feel for their father, an arrogant man whose pride seems to taint everything he touches. Over the course of a fateful fishing trip straight into the heart of a storm, father and sons are confronted with the unspoken secrets and resentments that are destroying them.
If there is one element in which González’s contemplative and austere prose shines brighter than ever is in his approach to the metaphorical plurality of the storm ... In Andrea Rosenberg’s translation, the author’s stylistic traits—short and pointed phrases, poetic descriptions and poetic monologues—shine and linger in the reader’s ear. Rosenberg’s translation reproduces the original cadence of the character-driven narrative with ease and precision, allowing the reader not only to give in to the gripping pulse of the story, but also to perceive the sociological examination of regional stereotypes and narrative idiosyncrasies that González conducts through his characters ... Rosenberg’s translation preserves the cultural nuance and linguistic accuracy of the original prose ... a welcome addition to the international recognition of one Colombia’s most prolific and poetic writers.
Tautly told ... González invokes both Hemingway and Faulkner in his treatment of tortured family dynamics and laces the three-way banter in the boat with a fascinating, near-toxic atmosphere of machismo. The novel’s unexpected ending lays bare the truth that, even after the worst has been entertained, life goes on, leaving a resonant final note for this memorable story.
