I read the first 50 pages of this book in the original Spanish, but then switched over to the English translation because #1 I'm too lazy to spend that much time with the dictionary and #2 it was just too weird to picture this Irish guy speaking Spanish.

I really liked the intermittent flashback format, because it gave the book (and the main character's life) coherence. Whatever the later controversies of his life, Roger Casement has my respect and admiration for his tireless and self-sacrificing quest to rid the world of injustice. Over a couple of decades, he courageously persevered in exposing the Rubber Barons' horrific abuses of native peoples in the Congo and Peru, despite death threats, severe illness, and extreme emotional strain.

The last third of the book, which deals with the struggle for Irish independence, is not as readable. Casement's claim that colonialism in Ireland was essentially the same as in the Congo is not really credible. Still, I have a soft spot for Irish revolutionaries, and I am so glad that he can rest in peace now knowing that his country is free.

The work is subtitled "A Novel," but it reads much more like a biography. I wish that Llosa had included something at the end to assist the reader in separating fact from fiction. I'd like to know how much the Roger Casement I grew to care about is like the real one.

Although the "Black Diaries" are admittedly an important part of the plot (and I think it's sick and tragic how the British government made use of them), I didn't really appreciate reading so much out of them. Llosa's claim that they were authored by Casement but largely fantasies rather than descriptions of real exploits seemed a little weird, but I'm not really qualified to judge its merits.

Advisory: For those who, like me, are prudish to some degree, be aware that there is some sexual content (i.e. the contents of said "black diaries") in this book.