Dear Rafe/Mi Querido Rafa (Klail City Death Trip Series)

by Rolando Hinojosa

Welcome to Klail City, in Belken County, along the Mexico border in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. In the weeks leading up to the Democratic primary, Jehu Malacara chronicles the political rabble-rousing of Klail City’s wealthiest citizens in letters to his cousin Rafe Buenrostro. Led by Arnold "Noddy" Perkins, the who’s who of Belken County create a complex web of relationships. Wrangling bank loans, club memberships, and local politics, Perkins dominates the political and economic landscape of the community.

When Malacara turns up missing, and the writer, P. Galindo, begins interviewing the citizens, tales of deceit and betrayal float to the surface. From Jehu’s knockout girlfriend Ollie to up-and-coming socialite Becky Escobar and even to old man Perkins himself, Hinojosa offers a feast of quirky characters and misdeeds.

Part epistolary, part mystery novel, the population of Klail City makes an indelible impression. With an introduction by Hinojosa scholar Manuel Martín-Rodríguez, a professor at University of California – Merced, this volume combines for the first time the English and Spanish-language versions of the novel that creates a fictitious community that The New York Times compared to Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha and Marquez’s Macondo.

255 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting combination of forms, as this is both an epistolary novel (composed of letters from Jehu, a resident of Klail City introduced in Hinojosa’s earlier books, and his GI cousin Rafe, also introduced in earlier books, who served in Korea) and a combination of character sketches giving the reader a sense for the residents of Klail City.

Not sure it would work on its own, but I think it will definitely enrich the future Klail City books I plan to read.

[Jeanette]

Another book that I had to read for class, but it wasn't a chore. The epistolary format makes it very interesting and very personal. I enjoyed the relationships I felt with the characters as a reader and I look forward to reading more books from the Klail City Death Trip Series.