The Good Cripple

by Rodrigo Rey Rosa, Esther Allen (Translator)

This muscular, starkly impressive novel from Guatemala's premiere young writer fiercely addresses the seemingly endless violence of Latin America.

A young man, Juan Luis Luna, is kidnapped in Guatemala City and held at the bottom of a rusty, empty underground fuel tank in an abandoned gas station. The kidnappers demand a ransom; his rich father does not reply. The kidnappers threaten to cut off his son's foot and still hear nothing. They then slice off one of Juan Luis's toes and send it to his father, who still refuses to act. So the next day... The Good Cripple obsessively focused, chilling, allegorical is stunningly explosive. With its enigmatic beginning, however, and its circular relentless structure, the novel is also dense with ideas: can one be whole after mutilation? Can the injured transcend violence? Rodrigo Rey Rosa's style is of a lithe pristine clarity, but beneath that calm surface cruelty, revenge, and diffidence churn darkly away. The Good Cripple is an astonishingly intense book, and as unforgettable as the sight of "the place where the foot had been severed, where a circle of red flesh, now a little black along the edges, could be seen, with a concentric circle of white bone that was both milky and glassy..."

Genres: Novella, Fiction, Latin American, Literature

84 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Rodrigo Rey Rosa is perhaps the most prominent writer on the Guatemalan literary scene. Along with the work of writers like Roberto Bolaño, Horacio Castellanos Moya, and Fernando Vallejo, Rey Rosa’s fiction has been widely translated and internationally acclaimed. His books include Dust on Her Tongue, The Beggar’s Knife, and The Pelcari Project, all of which were translated into English by the late Paul Bowles. In addition to his many novels and story collections, Rey Rosa has translated books by Bowles, Norman Lewis, François Augiéras, and Paul Léautaud.

Reviews

[Lee Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another masterful novella by Rodrigo Rey Rosa, this one notable for its third-person omniscient perspective, how smoothly it moves from character to character, and its evocation of Guatemala City and Tangier (including a Paul Bowles cameo). An engaging kidnapping/revenge story presented in enviably clear, stable, descriptive, capable narration.

[jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

guatemalan writer rodrigo rey rosa has garnered quite a bit of acclaim for his work, most notably for his short stories. the good cripple (el cojo bueno), one of only a few of rey rosa's books translated into english, is a brief but lively affair. set mostly in the cities of guatemala city and tangier, the good cripple is the tale of a violent kidnapping and its lingering repercussions on perpetrator and victim alike. while the story builds with quite a bit of promise, it seems to stumble somewhat towards the end. as an allegory of latin american violence and retribution, the good cripple does, however, offer something of consequence. celebrated american author paul bowles makes a cameo during the novella's tangier sequences, a nod to rey rosa's former instructor at a moroccan writing workshop (bowles would later go on to translate many of rey rosa's works, and rey rosa, in turn, would serve as bowles' literary executor following his passing in 1999). the good cripple is a decent book, but one hardly indicative of the praise reserved for his short stories.

it had the power to repel all gazes yet as soon as they stopped looking at it, it began acting as a powerful magnet, transforming their eyes into iron needles. even if they didn't look directly at it, it weighed on the margin of their field of vision. and even glimpsed from the corner of an eye, its shape was apparent beneath the gauze.

*early parts of the good cripple reminded me of the coen brothers' landmark comedy, the big lebowski (released two years after rey rosa's novel), as it features a kidnapping, a bungled ransom exchange, a severed toe, and even a character named bunny. marmots, nihilists, and pederasts not included.

[Tobias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, taut, very unsettling.

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella is the first work that I've read by the Guatemalan author Rodrigo Rey Rosa and I was very impressed. It's a slim tale of a kidnapping gone wrong, but Rey Rosa packs in a lot through shifting viewpoints and time frames, concentrating mostly on the aftermath years later. Translator Esther Allen leaves a lot of short Spanish phrases and words in, which is quite effective for conveying the atmosphere.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book joins the prestige club of books I read in a single sitting but did not expect to when I started reading. A story about hostage negotiation gone wrong in Guatemala, this short book explores the limits of revenge and the negative impact of wealth on human lives. Thematically, the book does not appear incredibly deep at first glance, but the prose and characterization make for an immersive read I couldn’t put down.

[Adriana Dorantes · Rating 4 out of 5]

He leído algunas novelas de corte policiacos, de secuestros y torturas. Y ésta me parece extraordinaria. Sobre todo por la familiaridad que hay entre los personajes, es decir, los malos no son aquellos que no tienen nada que ver con nosotros, sino que los malos son nuestros amigos de la infancia.

Esto más o menos le pasa al protagonista de esta novela. Es secuestrado y los secuestradores piden un rescate considerable; presionan de "buena manera" a través del envío de cartas, pero como no tienen éxito proceden a amputarle un pie al rehén, el cual es mandado a su padre como método de presión. Con esta acción el rescate es pagado. Por una serie de rivalidades en el mismo grupo de secuestradores, uno de ellos decide traicionar a los demás y llevarse todo el dinero, pero también decide liberar al rehén.

Años después el rehén se encuentra con uno de sus secuestradores. Lo curioso es que a uno de ellos lo conoce desde que eran niños e iban a la escuela juntos. Lo que más me llamó la atención de este libro es que el concepto de venganza, como suele haber en literatura policial y en donde los héroes y los villanos están muy bien definidos, aquí no existe. El que traiciona a sus amigos secuestradores con un atentado con una bomba es también el que decide no asesinar al rehén. El rehén ya con uno de ellos en al mira decide visitarlo en su casa, como si nada. Esto me pareció súper interesante y le da la vuelta a lo que uno espera de una novela de este tipo.

Me gustó.

[Matthew Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read. The story is a compelling look into two time periods, the events of a kidnapping and the chance meeting of the kidnapped and kidnappers later in life. The third person narration follows different characters closely enough to reveal dramatically different experiences of the same events.

I'm writing this immediately after finishing, and I'm left wanting more, which seems to be what the author intends. The decisions that will made in the weeks and months following the close of the book are of immense significance and would color how we see the entirety of prior events. The choice to not show us these decisions leaves the reader with much to think about (and discuss if others want to read this!).

I'd recommend it to anyone who has a few hours to spare and would talk to me afterward.

[Diego · Rating 4 out of 5]

A partir de aquella noche, cada vez que bebía unas copas de más, le costaba resistirse a visitar una de aquellas casas. No siempre que iba consumaba el acto, pero si encontraba una mujer especialmente atractiva... Además, experimentó un ensanchamiento de sus gustos, y llegó a ser capaz de encontrar aun en mujeres claramente feas algún rasgo, algún aspecto atractivo. No era que quisiera menos a su mujer. Cuando se acostaba con ella, invariablemente se decía que esto era lo auténtico, la única clase de sexo que le gustaba, y sabía que lo otro era algo momentáneo, un mal hábito que tendría que abandonar.

[Daniel Pineda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Está historia fue algo interesante. Énfasis en "algo." Lo compré en el BINAES de El Salvador porque era un libro muy cortito y la descripción se me hacía algo rara. No sé cómo pero Rosa hallo una forma de hablar de una solo historia por 100+ páginas. No diría que este tienes que leer esta historia, pero sí fue divertida, y a veces me confundía. No se si es el estilo de escritores de centro América que lo hizo sentir difícil de leer o si mi español no sirve para leer una obra así de complejo. Sin embargo, me gustó

[Lecturas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una novela policíaca, donde no hay un detective, si no, una víctima que se encuentra con uno de sus captores años después, aún cuando lo natural sería la venganza, él solo busca darle un final a su trágica historia del pasado, el cuál la recuerda en cada paso.

[Marreé · Rating 2 out of 5]

que trauma tbh, fue como leer los casos que mira mi papá. O sea le doy que en parte si me imagine todo y se sintió casi irreal, pero me da más miedo que si pasa y que es una cosa de acá. BTW QUE PUTAS CON ESE FINAL? DAFUQ

[Fernando Escobar · Rating 5 out of 5]

La crisis de secuestros en Guatemala sirve de fondo para una novela de crimen, en donde los personajes buscan su identidad fuera de la violencia y sus consecuencias.

[Daniel Polansky]

A kidnapping goes awry in Rey Rosa's tight, bleak novella. Reminiscent of Bolano in its interweaving of violence and literature, Paul Bowles and severed limbs. Good stuff.

[Nistha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get it!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'd heard a lot about this writer and i wasnt dissapointed. this tells the story of a man who loses a foot in a kidnapping in Guatemala City and then many years later struggles with how to deal with this violent episode of his past. although its mainly a personal story (there are many parallels between the protagonist's and the author's biographies) one feels the weight of the legacy of violence that has characterized central american history for so many years.

[Brandon O'Neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

In September (for Guatemala's independence), I always think about reading a Guatemalan author. I'm doing it this year. I've read some Francisco Goldman, so this year I'm turning to Rodrigo Rey Rosa. Looks to be a gristly tale...
It was. Stark and violent. How can writing about kidnapping, maiming, and it's aftermath not be?

[Osvaldo Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un excelente libro de un autor centroamericano (Guatemala). Una trama que promete desde la primera página. Para una reseña completa visiten: http://elsenderoentrelassombras.blogs...

[Fatesocruel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Felipe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet. The last half seemed rushed, but not much. Would I recommend? Yes, it's entertaining and short enough to warrant the time.

[Professor Weasel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. It's a fast read that provides several unexpected twists for what you think is going to be a classic revenge story. You're left with uneasy questions and no reassuring conclusions.