El arte de la resurreccion / The Art of Resurrection (Spanish Edition)

As in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Rivera Letelier's latest novel features a Christlike figure and an amorous Mary Magdalene character. Unlike The Da Vinci Code, however, this novel, winner of the prestigious Premio Alfaguara this year, is a comical magical realist tale set in the salt flats of Chile. The novel chronicles the life of Domingo Zarate Vega, a hermit in the Elqui Valley who learns through a vision that he is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. In 1942, after ten years of preaching as the Christ of Elqui, he becomes aware of a devout prostitute named Magalena. The story charts the consequences of his attempts to make her into his disciple and lover as they spread the news of an impending day of judgment. Surreal yet full of life, the characters display a touching mix of determination and optimism. The subtle but incisive humor means they can't be taken too seriously, but both they and the supporting characters are extremely engaging. Furthermore, the social narrative that underlies much of the novel's action is both insightful and humbling, giving us a bird's-eye view of life in a remote and rural Chile of the time. Heralded as part of a new wave of magical realism, Rivera Letelier has written a fresh and captivating novel; recommended for public and academic libraries.—Alison Hicks, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder