Set in 1939, in the early days of Franco’s Spain, Death of a Nationalist is a murder mystery that doesn’t shy away from the complexities of history.
...moreSet in 1939, in the early days of Franco’s Spain, Death of a Nationalist is a murder mystery that doesn’t shy away from the complexities of history.
The Spanish Civil War, often considered a practice run for WWII, has recently ended and the short-lived Republic is no more. The Nationalists, backed by Nazi Germany and Italy, are the winners. The remains of the Republican army – a mixed bag of Communists, Socialists and Anarchists backed by the Soviet Union & Mexico,(and more quietly by England & the U.S.) – are in hiding. If discovered they’ll be imprisoned… if they are lucky.
All in all, this is not a good time in the history of Spain. People are starving in the streets of Madrid and the black market thrives. The population is still divided over the recent war. The novel opens with the murder of a member of the Guardia Civil, the often corrupt civil police force tasked with restoring order and normalcy to the city. The murdered man’s best friend and fellow Guardia, a Sargeant Carlos Tejada, is determined to find the killer. What follows is an investigation fraught with wrong turns, mistaken beliefs, moral ambiguity and a number of red herrings. All of which plays out against a vividly rendered historical backdrop. This book has all the strength and authenticity of a novel written in the 1930′s.
Readers are thrown head first into the plot. A young schoolgirl witnesses the murder of the Guardia, and that random act creates a domino effect that changes the course of her life and the lives of her family. Pawel keeps a large cast of characters at her disposal. Everyone fits neatly into place without the plot becoming formulaic. The main protagonist, Tejada, is something of an anti-hero. A fascist, he's not your typical knight-in-shining armor. His beliefs make him unpredictable and that unpredictability only increases the suspense.
As for the audio: Elizabeth Klett, who narrates Death of a Nationalist, does a great job. Her character voices are nuanced, each is imbued with subtle individuality. I’ll definitely be listening to more of her work.
This is the first in a series featuring Sargeant Carlos Tejada Alonso y León. A series that now consists of four books. Three of which, sadly, are not yet available in audiobook.(less)
I guess I'll start with how much I LOVED this book! It's very well-written, with a plot that's complicated without becoming convoluted. The history ...moreI guess I'll start with how much I LOVED this book! It's very well-written, with a plot that's complicated without becoming convoluted. The history of the Beat generation - Kerouac, Ginsberg, Cassidy and Burroughs - is an essential component to the story, so it helped that in college I had my own Beat obsession (really more of a passing fling when compared to the two main characters) which provided a context. Despite having dabbled, after reading 'Beatitude' I suddenly had the desire to go and re-read those authors and to pick up some of their books that I'd skipped over. I can definitely see this novel being a bridge for readers who haven't gotten to 'On the Road' and 'Howl'.
'Beatitude' contains a love story - but not in the traditional sense. Harry and his co-worker Jay discover that they share an obsession for the Beats. They become best friends, inseparable. And then Harry (who has some relationship baggage) does what he's sworn not to do and falls in love with Jay. Jay is straight. The twist is... Jay loves him back. Just not in the same way.
Harry, who narrates the book, is a compelling voice. Someone you can't help caring about. As I read there were times when I felt as confused as he about the mixed signals Jay was throwing out. Until I realized that the signals weren't really that mixed and it was my preconceptions that were the real issue.
'Beatitude' is a reminder that love is love, regardless of whether it's romantic or platonic. Closs weaves together a beautiful and complicated narrative around this idea. He's created a novel that shouldn't be pigeonholed as any one thing: as a love story, gay literature, a book that memorializes the Beats. Because it's all those things and more. There are a lot of layers to the story Closs has given us, and it'd be a shame (as well as a mistake) to get caught up in just one.(less)