Lamentos borincanos, Edición 5G: Chinchorreo espiritual, perreo intelectual y, ¡viva la vida loca!

A story about the impact of an illness on a family, told from three different perspectives in post-industrial Puerto Rico: the third omniscient person, a mono-dialogue by a drug-addicted sex worker during a police investigation, and the interior monologue of an old man dying of AIDS on a discarded mattress in an alley. From the 2002 Library Journal review of the first edition: Delgado-Figueroa, a reviewer for Criticas and novelist (Tropical Snow, iUniverse, 2000; Salome rie mejor [Salome Laughs Better], Hispanic Caribbean Pr., 2001), uses this novel to explore Puerto Rico’s rapid economic development after World War II from a rural society to a booming industrial one. To demonstrate the impact on Puerto Rico’s social fabric, he presents the family of school teacher Iluminada and her husband, a mechanic named Salvador. Delgado-Figueroa details their rise from lower class to working class as Iluminada’s job compensates for her husband’s inability to provide for the family’s basic needs. Her work allows them to afford a car, a cement house with all electric modern appliances, and even private education for the children. The family’s transformation comes at a price, however; by the end, Iluminada is despised by her only daughter and separated from Salvador, who dies of AIDS after having a brief affair with a female drug addict an ironic twist since Iluminada had rejected a gay son who died of AIDS. Given its in-depth exploration of the island’s popular culture, this novel will be of particular interest to Puerto Rican readers, but its dynamic literary style will also appeal to general readers. Recommended for public libraries and bookstores. Rafael Ocasio, Agnes Scott Coll., GA.