Queridos niños
Dear Children | Anagrama, 2021
This is a novel like an after-dinner chat with friends, but hard like a punch to the liver. And this contradiction is present in the protagonist, Basilio, whose friends call him Hippopotamus. At two-hundred-sixty pounds, he finds this nickname amusing: maybe he does aspire to this quiet calm of that beast that knows how to wait till the time is right; maybe he’s attracted by its ferocious nature, its aggressive instincts, its criminal intelligence. So when he gets an offer to abandon his tranquil retirement for a few weeks to accompany presidential candidate Amelia Tomás on the campaign trail, the beast inside him wakes up and acts. Throughout an adventure that will take them across the country, his mission will be to pack her speeches with dynamite, sprinkle gasoline on her rivals’ positions, and set fire to everything in his path. Competition is out of the question: the only acceptable thing is to win. Win, win, win.
And in the midst of all this is a larger-than-life protagonist, loved by some and hated by others, who instead of asking himself if the glass is half-full or half-empty decides to drink the whole thing down. Outrageous and daring, vibrant and direct, this is an autobiography of rancor and another step forward for one of the most successful careers in contemporary fiction. David Trueba has written an unclassifiable novel that portrays the world of politics and its backroom dealings with an eye for satire and clear judgment.
«A lucid and ironic novel on the drifts of our democracies which x-rays the malice, calculation and control and the absolute lack of innocence in contemporary politics.» Bruno Arpaia, Il Venerdì di Reppublica
«Narrated with the unfailing irony of David Trueba, the authors manages to write a really successful novel who dissects with scalpel the «professional politics». A writing capable of conveying situations through images, his style immediately accessible, only possible to those who know how to polish and remove the superfluous. I have always enjoyed myself with Trueba.» Pino Cacucci, La Stampa
«This imaginative and truthful satirical chronicle of an electoral campaign may be dissuasive to voters, but it contains high doses of entertainment and annoyance, like any good scathing and unfettered comedy of manners. The most brilliant achievement in the novel is perhaps the self-portrait of the main character: an intelligent jerk and inveterate reactionary.» Domingo Ródenas de Moya, El País
«A witty and searing portrayal of political practices. In the best tradition of Anglo-Saxon political satire, a whole range of speeches, devious strategies and hilarious situations run through these pages. And let´s not forget the intrigues caused by excessive personal ambitions!» Jesús Ferrer, La Razón
«Trueba has always shown outstanding talent as a writer. The starting point in his novels is usually a moral restlessnes. But thanks to a heightened sense of humor and a taste for the relevant descriptive details, it ascends to more luminous regions. Thanks to his gifted sense of humor, what could be an essay on political malpractice becomes a great and timely story.» Juan Ángel Juristo, ABC Cultural
«A magnificent portrait. One of the novel's many allures is that, despite the acute observations, there is no political rethoric, rather a social and human reality.» J. A. Masoliver Ródenas, La Vanguardia
«His forte are the strokes of wit at the expense of our deplorable spectacle politics, and in this sense one can find brilliant scenes. Trueba writes with agility and his curious notes add not stop entertainment. The open ending suggests the restart of the political loop that combines virtuous public profile with private pettiness, and vice versa. That last page records it elegantly.» Nadal Suau, El Cultural
Italy: Feltrinelli
