Julio Santana quema edificios. Por una modesta suma, Julio le prende fuego a los edificios de Harlem que algunos pode-rosos inversionistas quieren hacer desaparecer para cobrar el dinero del seguro, y construir nuevos edificios, mas modernos, mas caros, mas cómodos. Julio ha ganado miles de dolares quemando las casas del mismo barrio que lo vio crecer, y con todo el dinero que ha ganado, logro comprar un apartamento en el que vive con sus padres. Pero cuando se enamora de Helen, una joven blanca que acaba de mudarse a su edificio, Julio decide dejar a un lado los incendios, para llevar una vida honesta y sin complicaciones. Lo que no se esperaba, es que su cambio de parecer enfureciera tanto a sus jefes y que pronto, no solo peligraría su propia vida, sino también la de sus seres queridos. A medida que lucha por alejarse de la vida que llevaba, Julio se ve rodeado de diversos personajes que iluminan pero también complican su existencia. De la pastora del barrio, que le consigue papeles de ciudadanía a los trabajadores indocumentados, a Papelito, el sabio y respetado santero, a los encantadores padres de Julio. Ernesto Quiñonez le da vida a una novela cuyos personajes y temas son tan evocadores y universales que permanecerán en la mente del lector para siempre. ( )

Another look at Spanish Harlem and a religion from the Caribbean (?). Very good reading; I'm looking forward to more. ( )

#85, 2004

This is an Advanced Reader's Copy I received from HarperCollins. It's about Julio, a young man living in Spanish Harlem who has been supporting his aging parents by making a living as an arsonist, but realizes that he wants to get out of this line of work and do something legitimate with his life. It was a terrific read. I especially enjoyed the characters - Julio in particular. Although he is a self-admittedly a criminal, he really is a good person who understands that he's in a line of work that isn't ethical; watching him struggle to get out of this lifestyle was fascinating. The story also deals with the dynamic between the Hispanic population who've lived in the area for decades, and the whites who are moving in because of low property values, hoping to "gentrify" the area. When Julio falls in love with the blanquita who moves into his building, these issues become personal for him. He also works through a crisis of faith, feeling that the Christianity he's practiced all his life is no longer meaningful, and wondering whether it is time for him to try a new path and follow the Orishas of Santeria. Beautiful prose, interesting plot and sub-plots, and characters I really cared about, plus some interesting - and relevant - political commentary. My only complaint was that at times, there was dialogue in Spanish which I couldn't translate (I was only able to understand about half), and I got the feeling I was missing out on things because of it. Perhaps I wasn't, but since it seemed that in some places the author hadn't entirely reiterated the Spanish by repeating it another way in English afterwards, I had to assume that the Spanish I didn't understand was not being reiterated, either. But this only impacted my enjoyment of the book in a small way. ( )