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Destiny and Desire: A Novel

by Carlos Fuentes, Edith Grossman (Translator)

3.13 of 5 stars 3.13 · rating details · 140 ratings · 47 reviews

Winner of the Cervantes Prize

Carlos Fuentes, one of the world’s most acclaimed authors, is at the height of his powers in this stunning new novel—a magnificent epic of passion, magic, and desire in modern Mexico, a rich and remarkable tapestry set in a world where free will fights with the wishes of the gods.

Josué Nadal has lost more than his innocence: He has been robbed...more

Hardcover, 432 pages

Published January 4th 2011 by Random House (first published October 20th 2008)

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Mar 19, 2012 Marcia Lonteen-Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall, Destiny and Desire was an interesting novel. However, I plodded my way through many parts of it and wasn't thrilled about pulling it out and continuing. The style was often rambling and repetitious, leading me to look ahead to see how long this part was going to be. The beginning was unusual, the decapitated narrator, Josue, introducing himself and saving the circumstances until the end. The plot begins in high school with Josue being bullied for the size of his nose and being rescued b...more

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May 22, 2011 Eric rated it 5 of 5 stars

A difficult but ultimately very rewarding novel. The pairs are dizzying, and spirals into 3s 4s and mores. Politics, philosophy and the nature of storytelling battle to draw for center stage. Colorful, engaging characters galore. Fuentes demands knowledge of (or at least serious thinking about) the Bible, Greek legend, St Augustine, Nietzsche, Spinoza, Mexican politics and more. A novel about everything that somehow manages at the same to time to stick to its knitting. And how can you argue with...more

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Mar 07, 2011 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

The most recent Fuentes book was awesome. Couldn't put the book down.

It begins with a decappitated head washing up on a shore near Acupulco Mexico. Obviously the reader wants to know what happened? It may seem obvious in light of the Mexican drug cartel violence but the story is more about power and politics. Fuentes recountes the tale through this head as the story of two men, Josue and Jerico. Josue is the head and how he got here is surprizing.

Returning to his motif on corrupt familes, he use...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Bookmarks Magazine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mar-apr-2011

Destiny and Desire is a postmodern telling of a classic tale of friendship and betrayal between two men set in modern Mexico City. Critics agreed that Fuentes is impressive in his mastery not only of Mexican politics and history but also in his knowledge of philosophy and literary devices. JosuŽ and Jeric— are incarnations of Castor and Pollux, or perhaps Cain and Abel, and the novel discusses everything from St. Augustine to Justin Timberlake. Fuentes' digressions constitute a fine display of h...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Susana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I've always said to myself that I would read Fuentes, and winning a First Read copy of his newest novel, Destiny and Desire, finally forced me to walk my talk. What an alternatively confusing, exhilarating, surprising, and twisted novel. I'm glad to have won and glad to have read, even if my admiration for the novel's intricacies overwhelms my enjoyment of it.

Narrated by Josue Nadal's head, languishing now on the coast of Guerrero, the novel tells the story of Josue and his sometime friend and s...more I've always said to myself that I would read Fuentes, and winning a First Read copy of his newest novel, Destiny and Desire, finally forced me to walk my talk. What an alternatively confusing, exhilarating, surprising, and twisted novel. I'm glad to have won and glad to have read, even if my admiration for the novel's intricacies overwhelms my enjoyment of it.

Narrated by Josue Nadal's head, languishing now on the coast of Guerrero, the novel tells the story of Josue and his sometime friend and sometime dark twin, Jerico. Orphans who encounter each other first at school, they become best of friends, musing on philosophical debates between themselves and, later, with Father Filopater. They later become rivals as Josue goes to work for a communications magnate, Max Monroy, and Jerico works for the country's current president, Valentin Pedro Carrera. The conflicts between business and politics are reflected in the conflicts between Josue and Jerico as their friendship unravels and an even deeper connection between them is revealed. However, while the conflicts between business and politics can sometimes turn to alliances to protect each others' interests, Josue and Jerico are unable to achieve that needed alliance, losing each other (and, in Josue's case, his head) in the inability to see the necessity of acting together (although, I hasten to add for those who have read it, not necessarily or precisely in the way Jerico envisions).

The eye of the storm in all of this is Asunta Jordan, a high-powered assistant to Monroy, who manipulates and manages situations to her own end, trying to force a destiny that benefits her the most as a reward for the assistance she's provided to Monroy over the years.

The most fascinating character in the novel, though, is Mexico City itself; there's nothing I enjoy more than a novel that can communicate effectively and vibrantly a time and a place. Mexico City pulses with the corruption, resignation, desperation, and blind hope of Mexico as a whole, a country in need of a revolutionary revamp that failed to happen after November 20, 1910. Josue traverses the city, and in doing so visits pockets of a Mexican identity, defined in the street names of rebellion and insurgency that led not to a prosperous nation, but to dependence on tourism and undocumented dollars to survive.

I will caution--this is not an easy read. It is at times confusing, circuitous and exasperating. But it is a rich read as you sort the characters, learn their connections and see their fates.(less)

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Feb 06, 2011 Brenda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "Elvira Rios, the whore with the bee, my current ball-and-chain, Lucha Zapata, paled in comparison with this woman-object, this beautiful thing, attractive, sophisticated, elegant, and supremely desirable...." (183).

"...basically there is no whore who does not aspire to matrimony. It infuriates them that men don't call them 'women' but 'broads.' Being a 'broad' is being a whore, trash, tamale wrapper, mole pot. Being a 'woman' is being a girlfriend who can become a wife and mother" (205).

"...Asu...more "Elvira Rios, the whore with the bee, my current ball-and-chain, Lucha Zapata, paled in comparison with this woman-object, this beautiful thing, attractive, sophisticated, elegant, and supremely desirable...." (183).

"...basically there is no whore who does not aspire to matrimony. It infuriates them that men don't call them 'women' but 'broads.' Being a 'broad' is being a whore, trash, tamale wrapper, mole pot. Being a 'woman' is being a girlfriend who can become a wife and mother" (205).

"...Asunta stopped being Dulcinea-Iseult-Heloise and became a base fetish, to the extent that her photograph at the head of my bed occupied, a quasivirginal spot, and I say 'quasi' because on a few nights I did not resist the temptation to masturbate looking at her face (upside down, it's true, given that my jerking off occurred while I was lying in bed and Asunta's image hung vertically, held up by a tack) and surrendering, in the end, to solitary pleasure, forgetting Asunta, reproaching myself for my weakness though repeating that line about 'Things are known to Onan unknown to Don Juan'" (271).

I could go on...Fuentes' narrator certainly does. Obviously, this novel would never be considered "chick lit," though it could certainly be classified as "dick lit." Of course, with a word like "desire" in the title, a reader should probably expect preoccupation with lust objects. And that's all the female characters ever manage to become. The women are either "a cross between the devouring Aztec goddess Coatlicue and the national patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe" (356)--or "a doll without will," "a wounded bird" (108)--or "a jealous Medea" and "enveloping Gorgon of power, queen of an empire that would slip from her hands if she did not endow herself with bloody eyes, a terrifying face, and hair made of serpents..." (404-405).

The males aren't much better. The friends who serve as the central characters, Josue' and Jericho, are Castor and Pollux, Cain and Abel. Fuentes tells us so repeatedly. I'm not convinced that one can create archetypal characters by having their narrator harp on about their mythic correspondences.

Still, I did manage to finish the book, hoping that Fuentes' plot would eventually rise to the level of the best efforts of Umberto Eco and Arturo Perez-Revertez. These two authors usually manage to construct mysteries worth solving, despite the ubiquitous presence of female characters who could have been lifted from the pages of Bram Dijkstra's _Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin-de-Siecle Culture_. However, by the time Fuentes gets around to revealing "who-done-it," I could care less. Although I am usually a very patient reader, I found myself exasperated by the onanistic digressions of Fuentes' narrating character.

These characters do not engage in conversations. They make speeches at one another--and, frequently, the reader learns that significant actions have occurred outside narrative. The plot seems to be building up to a crisis that the reader expects to witness, to share only to discover that, after much build-up, something vague has happened between paragraphs or during the turn of page.

But, maybe I'm being unfair. This novel is narrated from the perspective of a bodiless head. I think it's supposed to be the one that usually attaches to the neck; but, by the end of Fuentes' text, I'm thinking poor Josue' is suffering one radical castration. (less)

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Dec 08, 2012 Dale rated it 2 of 5 stars

Most everything I've read about Carlos Fuentes says that he's a superb and fascinating writer. This is why I decided to check out a third book written by him.
However, I stopped reading this book after a few chapters. The story was pretty boring and the writing was just not interesting enough to keep me reading the book. I don't know what it is with Carlos Fuentes and his stories. However, they just don't seem to appeal to me.
Living close to Mexico (on the US border), and having traveled to Mex...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Kate Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wish I could give this book 5 stars. I wish I had loved this book. It is brilliant, genius perhaps...but incredibly boring. It started off well enough- who can't get into a book written by the narrators severed head? But then it plodded on and on and on and on and drowned me in it's newspaper like delivery of Mexican politics and antiquated philosophy. Maybe I am not smart enough to fully appreciate this book...or perhaps not old enough. I am one of those people that feels compelled to finish...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Khrystyna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: excellent-reads

I enjoyed the philosophical aspects of this novel, which although demanded some elementary knowledge of classic idealogy and philosophy, it cannot be said that it is a mere compilation of these ideas prettily agglomerated into a superficially carved text. This is because the philosophy and idealogy is convincingly interpreted by two very interesting characters, Mexican youth who strive to grow intellectually oblivious to the frivolities of the present age. It was an emotional and for that reason...more I enjoyed the philosophical aspects of this novel, which although demanded some elementary knowledge of classic idealogy and philosophy, it cannot be said that it is a mere compilation of these ideas prettily agglomerated into a superficially carved text. This is because the philosophy and idealogy is convincingly interpreted by two very interesting characters, Mexican youth who strive to grow intellectually oblivious to the frivolities of the present age. It was an emotional and for that reason an enjoyable experience (at least for me) to read about their perpetual perceptions of their country and the world, fearless of scaling new and untapped for decades (in their youthful opinion, relatable only too well to mine) dimensions of human intellect. The two young people meet at a school playground, one of them coming to the defense of the other when he was being bullied about his physical appearance, immediately after being acquainted with the other declaring "We’ll get along like clockwork". They have a fraternal friendship, partly because of the mystery surrounding their ancestral backgrounds, and also because of their search for the meaning of life and its institutions without being frivolous, with questions such as "Why is Protestantism the ideal religion for capitalism?"

However they cannot escape from the reality of Mexico’s criminal dependent democracy, and an ubiquitous theme in the book therefore is crime, sex and corruption, and how each of these manipulate and mock criminals as well as those who by destiny and ill desire become linked to crime, an example of the former being children in Mexico City's largest prison, who are pulled to crime against their will. The wish of the two youth to somehow develop intellect and practice it in their desired way conflicts with this. As a result: "Power does not commit hari-kiri. Power defends itself. "

The thing that bothered me was that the book had no underlying meaning, but rather underscored various elements of human nature that contributed to the situation in Mexico. It seemed a very irksome waste of nearly 500 pages, effectively reflecting modern Mexico with insight, however giving the impression of a certain blandness, due to the lack of intertwined meaning which every good novel has to have to it, which I disliked.(less)

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Feb 12, 2011 Rebecca H. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I’m afraid I have another negative review to write, and in this case, it’s a book I couldn’t finish. I made it about 160 pages out of over 400 into Carlos Fuentes’s new novel Destiny and Desire (which I won from Goodreads) and decided to call it quits. I’m not one to abandon books often or easily, and I really wanted to finish this one, to see if the pace would ever pick up or if my interest would sharpen, but during the last ten or twenty pages, I was beginning to positively hate the book, so i...more I’m afraid I have another negative review to write, and in this case, it’s a book I couldn’t finish. I made it about 160 pages out of over 400 into Carlos Fuentes’s new novel Destiny and Desire (which I won from Goodreads) and decided to call it quits. I’m not one to abandon books often or easily, and I really wanted to finish this one, to see if the pace would ever pick up or if my interest would sharpen, but during the last ten or twenty pages, I was beginning to positively hate the book, so it was time to stop.

This is another case, like the novel The Illumination I wrote about yesterday, of not liking a book I’ve read only positive reviews of. The New York Times, for one, reviewed it glowingly last week. My problems with it, though, were multiple. Part of it is that the book struck me as very unfriendly toward women. It’s about two young men growing up in Mexico City, attending school, having intense philosophical debates, reading books together (that’s what I read about anyway — the plot was soon to take them in other directions), and all that’s fine, but their friendship as they grow up is more and more built on bonding through degrading women. The women characters were either sex objects or evil, nasty parents and guardians. I didn’t hold out much hope that this would change.

The other problem was that I did not enjoy the writing, which struck me as overblown and ponderous. There were a few too many passages like this one, which comes from the first page; it starts off fine with some nice images, but takes a turn for the worse:

The Pacific really is a tranquil ocean now, as white as a large basin of milk. The waves have warned it that earth is approaching. I try to measure the distance between two waves. Or is it time that separates them, not distance? Answering this question would solve my own mystery. The ocean is undrinkable, but it drinks us. Its softness is a thousand times greater than earth’s. But we hear only the echo, not the voice of the sea. If the sea were to shout, we would all be deaf. And if the sea were to stop, we would all be dead.

Okay, the last two lines are fine, too, but I don’t know how “answering this question would solve my own mystery.” It’s the kind of vague sentence that drives me nuts, and the book was full of similarly vague sentences. The novel is narrated by one of the two main characters, and he’s altogether too satisfied with himself to be enjoyable company.

The novel has an interesting conceit: the first-person narrator is actually dead — he’s a severed head washed up on the beach. We learn he is twenty-seven at his death, so the novel, as far as I can see, is supposed to tell the story of what led to such a gruesome end. I can see that this book is supposed to say something about Mexican society and politics, and I’m sure that if I could have gotten into the story, that would have been interesting. But it’s not for me to find out.(less)

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Feb 03, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

How to characterize this book? Interesting, enigmatic, enthralling, difficult. Mystery, history, philosophy, religion, and mythology all come into play. I learned a lot. I'm also certain I missed a lot. Magical realism and stream of consciousness intertwine with straightforward story-telling. Sometimes the intertwining plots reminded me of Dickens. The story is narrated by Josue Nadal's severed head, giving an interesting vantage point. (This is not a spoiler, because you learn this in the first...more

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Feb 15, 2011 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

To be honest, Carlos Fuente's Destiny and Desire felt like assigned reading. I had to struggle through much of it. The first few pages open with a severed head telling the story of how it came to be a severed head which his the high concept sort of novel that some readers will find brilliant, and others like myself may find frustrating. Also when you give away the death of the protagonist on page 2, it is really hard to get the narrative tension back. I never felt like a had a grip on the story,...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Anne Van rated it 3 of 5 stars

Definitely not a beach book! I plodded along for the first 200 pages, but then more things began to fall into place as I realized that Fuentos was writing an allegory about Mexico, about both the past as well as the current system of elites in running (ruining) the country. I'm headed to Wikipedia to look up some of the mythic figures, Castor and Polllux, etc., that are central to the novel. I probably respected the book and the writer more than I actually enjoyed reading it, however.

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Aug 21, 2011 Joanne Gass rated it 4 of 5 stars

As with all Fuentes novels, this one is very complex and displays his vast knowledge of virtually all things. It's also a rather sad portrait of Mexico City and its politics and culture in the late twentieth century. I think you have to know more about D.F. than I do to really appreciate the novel, but I'm a fan and student of Fuentes, so I enjoyed it.

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Feb 07, 2012 Gwendolyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

An interesting premise—the story consists of the reminiscences and musings of a decapitated head. Gorgeous writing very admirably translated by Edith Grossman. The narrative is meandering but interesting.

I’m about two-thirds of the way through, and I’m waiting for the story to pull itself together into something cohesive, but I just don’t see that happening. I don't think I'll finish. Overall, my verdict is that this novel is entertaining but also frustrating. There are seeds of greatness that a...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Amanda Eckler rated it 5 of 5 stars

As soon as I picked up this book, I was reminded of how long it had been since I have read something by a truly great author. Fuentes is a master and Destiny and Desire is a challenging and satisfying read. My five-star measure is whether I would want to read a book again and this is one that I finished and wanted to start over again from the beginning, taking more time and exploring all of the symbolism. I have a feeling this is a book that can be read over and over again, discovering something...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Calvin added it

Shelves: novels

I really wouldnt know where to start reviewing the novel. I'm feel I missed so much by not reading, or being able to read it, in Fuentes original language. But I'm equally sure that I missed just as much by not being well versed in Mexican Culture and Politics.

I left the book quite confused, but glad I read it.

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Jan 27, 2011 Anna Green rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book isn't for any one who doesn't have good depth of understanding. I would recommend it to anyone who would want to read it, but definitely with an adult atmosphere. I have never read a book with such a powerful tone. A book with such a fortitude of thought deserves no less than book of the year for an adult category. Carlos Fuentes is truly a master of the pen.

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Jun 21, 2011 Arlene rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had trouble getting into this book. Every time I picked it up to read it, I fell asleep. While, in the last 50 pages, it finally all came together, I believe I missed the point of the book. It took me weeks to finish it.

It contains some interesting references from the Bible, from mythology, and from history. I'm sure the author intended more connections from these references to the lives of the characters, although I can't say I 'got' most of them.

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Jun 03, 2011 Raimo Wirkkala rated it 3 of 5 stars

A novel that is typical of a style of fiction writing peculiar to Latin America. Fuentes is a leading practitioner of this mix of the mystical and the very real. The narrator of the story is a severed head. Case closed.

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Jul 26, 2011 Amanda Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

A challenging read as it is told from the pov of a severed head, but as it skips back and forth through the former life of the body, it tells the story of Mexico - politics, philosophy, and economy in a beautiful lyric.

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Feb 11, 2011 Kenneth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This is a beautifully deep book. Unfortunately, at times it is both too beautiful and too deep for its own good. At times it seems the author (even accounting for translation) is trying too hard to write Literature, instead of concentrating on the story. And this is a shame, because the story is a good one, the characters flawed and interesting, the settings magnificent (if over-described). In short, style gets in the way on this one.

I received this book for free from Goodreads First-Reads. Than...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Fabián Herrera rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Caray apenas el día de ayer empece la lectura y no esperaba menos del Maestro Carlos Fuentes con una narrativa muy descriptiva y directa, vamos a ver cómo se sigue desarrollando!

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Feb 14, 2011 Amelia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, decided-not-to-finish

I was so excited to win this one on GoodReads FirstReads but sadly couldn't make it through. I'm typically a fairly speedy reader, but to get 270 pages in after starting it over a month ago, is a telling sign that's it's just not my kind of book. There were moments that truly captured my interest (I found the character of Lucha Zapata fascinating!) and Fuentes certainly has a gift with language; however, what was sometimes lush description often became tedious, dull, and hard to follow. I respec...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Lynn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Thank you good reads for chosing me to read your book. I am sorry to say that this just wasn't the type of book that held my interest. I wanted to enjoy it, but maybe the book lost some of its character in its' translation. I don't think I will be reading any more books from this author.

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Mar 11, 2011 Allison rated it 2 of 5 stars

This took so long to get through! I really like the style of Latin American (especially Mexican) writing, which explores their past as it looms over their present, invokes religious figures and mythology, and presents human sexuality in a very blunt way. However, I think I am going to stick to shorts stories from now on. This book's several storylines took too long to dovetail and the exit of one of the main characters was lackluster for me. Whew! I'm glad it's over.

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Jan 24, 2011 Caitlin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

hmmm. what to say about this book. it's definitly a page turner. not something i would have picked out on my own. however since i won it for the first-reads contest i gave it a chance. and i must say i was pleasantly surprised. i don't want to give anything away but i do recommened it to anyone 25 and up.

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Apr 29, 2011 Becky rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, carlos-fuentes

well huh. It took a lot of energy to read this book. I think I liked parts of it, and found myself curious enough to finish it. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming so that is a good sign but for me it felt like a chore to read, which is why such a low score. I kept trying to blame my sickness as to why I hadn't finished it yet but on reflection I think it was the translation. It wasn't just a straight translation of the words but a modernization and translation of the novel which i...more

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Feb 27, 2011 Alicia rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction, first-reads

No, I'm not done with this book. I'm 50 pages in. And on a three month "break" from law school (read: internship) I'm not about to waste my time with this. I get it. It's pretty words. They are nice, but really, really, every paragraph doesn't have to be so intense and deep that I can't actually grasp what is going on with the characters. I can tell from the reviews as well, it's not going to get any better.

So, perhaps I will revisit the entire book one day, but from the 50 pages I've read, it...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Jayw added it

Severed head tells rambling tale of orphaned destiny, "resting like a coconut and lapped by the waves on a beach in Guerrero"

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About Carlos Fuentes

Carlos Fuentes Macías was a Mexican writer and one of the best-known novelists and essayists of the 20th century in the Spanish-speaking world. Fuentes influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.

Fuentes was born in Panama City, Panama; his parents were Mexican. Due to his father being a diplomat, during his childhoo...more

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