Juan Gómez Bárcena

An intriguing book, experimental in its way (something I generally do not enjoy), and quite well done. I kept running into positive reviews of this work so finally broke down and bought it. Barcena (born in Santander, Spain, in 1984) is apparently a highly regarded author in Spain. I have seen his work compared with that of Cormac McCarthy (I agree) and Joseph Conrad (maybe, but mostly not so much). The plot begins in 16th century Mexico when two “gentlemen” hire Juan de Toñanes—a retired and down-on-his-luck former conquistador—to find Juan the Indian, a highly charismatic, missionary-taught man said to be causing trouble for both the Spanish-run church and state. No one knows what Juan the Indian looks like, making the search that much more interesting. The book follows the search over hundreds of miles and hundreds of years. Along the way, there are conquistadors riding horses and migrants riding trains, long-suffering peasants waiting patiently for a better world, Mexican revolutionaries, and women searching for a better life who end up murdered in the desert. The journey ends—or perhaps begins—in the U.S., north of the Mexican border. I found the writing excellent (and the translation also seemed to be so) and overwhelming. Substantial description, stream-of-consciousness…a great deal of substance worthy of much thought regarding justice and hope and even the meaning of life. (You can find an excerpt on the website of the publisher, Three Percent.)… (mere)