In Evil Hour

Rating:
Summary: "God's mercy is another way of beating us up"
Review: This short novel is a good but not great. I found it difficult to get into in spite of it's brevity. The book captures the imagination but on a limited scope as the plot is a little convoluted to say the least. I found myself along the way wondering where the story was going as GGM meandered along revealing bits and pieces of his vision of a small town caught up in the grips of the harsh political climate in Colombia. I didn't think any one character was dominant enough nor for that matter were any in particular shown to have much depth. Coming from the Latin American literary giant GGM I was a bit dissappointed. I suppose the characters were not as important as the overall sense of fear cast by an oppresive government which is in search of dissidents while the mice that are menacing the church scurry about at night as the people do likewise under a curfew. The ominous tension created by GGM is the reality that many have to live under in Latini America and the author shows the depth of that fear resides not only in big cities but in small towns as well. Persecution exists in every level of society and GGM shows that even in a sleepy, pictureque little town near the river the serenity of nature can be disrupted by evil. Recommended for those that like GGM and a glimpse at a precursor to "One Hundred Years of Solitude."