MixedThe Boston GlobeAfter the novel’s first few pages, Harrison tells his own story; he is a diarist and letter writer, a recorder of events and a novelist, a translator and amanuensis … Early in the novel, his journal entries feel somewhat like Mexican history served light; occasionally they read like guidebooks. But through it all, those around him share their feelings, admire his cooking, and take him along on trysts … We want to care about Harrison; his mother is wild and crazy, he basically raises himself, he is an avaricious but barely schooled reader. Still, the reader may find that Harrison’s inherent privacy simply makes him disengaged and unattractive. For sure he is caught in his own personal lacuna, and we are left to wonder if he has the strength to fight off the sharks that pursue him.
