The Dream of the Jaguar
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An enchanting family saga in the vein of One Hundred Years of Solitude, this prize-winning novel illuminates Venezuela’s history through the lives of its memorable characters.
When a mute beggar from Maracaibo, Venezuela, takes in a newborn abandoned on the steps of a church, she has no idea of the extraordinary destiny that awaits the orphan. Raised in poverty, Antonio will be a cigarette seller, a porter on the docks, a servant in a brothel before becoming, thanks to his effusive energy, one of the most illustrious surgeons in his country.
An exceptional partner will inspire him. Ana Maria will distinguish herself as the first female doctor in the region. They will give birth to a daughter whom they will name after their own country: Venezuela. Connected to South America by her first name as much as by her origins, she only has eyes for Paris. But we never truly leave our own people. It is in the notebook of Cristóbal, the last link of their family, that the stories of this astonishing lineage will finally take shape.
In this vibrant saga full of unforgettable characters, Miguel Bonnefoy paints a picture, inspired by his own ancestors, of a remarkable family whose fate is intertwined with that of Venezuela.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bonnefoy (Heritage) unspools a multigenerational saga of a South American family and a writer returning to his roots. It opens in 1920s Maracaibo, Venezuela, when Antonio Borjas Romero is abandoned on the steps of a church as an infant. He's raised by a beggar woman named Mute Teresa and goes on to excel in school, where he falls in love with Ana María, also a star student. They both overcome their humble beginnings and become greatly admired doctors. Their daughter is born in 1958 on the same day that the dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez is ousted. In celebration of their beloved country's liberation, they name her Venezuela. After Venezuela grows up and fulfills her dream of living in Paris, she meets and marries a Chilean exile. They have a son, Cristóbal, who grows interested in his South American roots and moves to Maracaibo, where he becomes a writer. Filled with earthy and luminous prose that evokes the writers of the Latin American Boom ("The stars were enormous in the sky and the world seemed flooded with silt"), the novel makes palpable Cristóbal's fascination with his literary and familial heritage. Readers will be enchanted.
