Four years after publication overseas, Rafael Reig’s second book comes to our shores translated by Paul Hammond. A PRETTY FACE is not an easy novel to categorize, since it’s borderline science fiction mixed with alternate history, mystery and a surrealist plot.
The story focuses on children’s author Maria Dolores, who is killed within the first few pages, yet narrates as a ghost as she witnesses the goings-on after her own demise. The novel features a wide variety of characters who all have some tie to Maria, including ex-husband Fernando, a scientist who is bent on winning a Nobel Prize; her psychiatrist father, who developed some new drug that will supersede all others; and private detective Charlie Cott, hired by Maria’s father to find out who killed his daughter, since the local police can’t be bothered and chalk it up to random violence.
All the while, we’re also given a view of the alternate history of Spain — of a takeover by the U.S., forcing its will onto society — and how some new drug referred to as “the green capsule” has turned junkies into living zombies. They’re not zombies in the sense of horror movies, but more of the catatonic who only survive by either finding a source for the drug or taking their own lives to end the suffering.
Maria is living in some sort of ghost state, communicating with one of her creations from her books: a young, one-eyed boy to whom Maria tries to give love and warmth. This is not some straightforward read, but more of a metaphysical journey for our narrator as she watches the aftermath of her death, while also reflecting on her own past and revisiting key moments.
One can see Reig is an extremely talented author with a wide variety of ideas, but what hampers the book sometimes is the translation, which is so literal that it seems jarring to the reader, especially with Spanish idioms. A PRETTY FACE is definitely worth the read for those who want something completely different from the norm. It might not tie up all its loose ends, but will give you plenty of ideas to think about. It has made me a new fan of Reig, who’s other books I will search out, because this type of literature is ahead of its time. —Bruce Grossman
Related posts:
- The Hunter / The Man with the Getaway Face / The Outfit
- Sara’s Face
- Frankenstein’s Bride
- Travels in the Scriptorium
- Jonah Hex: Face Full of Violence
