American Visa [Paperback]

The narrator of this sweet noir claims to have read Raymond Chandler, Chester Himes, Dashiell Hammett and Manuel Vazquez Montalban as if they were prophets, and their presiding spirits are not far from this winning tale . . . An intriguing window onto a society on the fringes of globalization. A best-seller in its own country, this novel about a man desperate to get into America is one of the few Bolivian novels translated into English, and especially with the present furor about immigration, it is sure to spark interest . . . De Recacoechea celebrates the hybrid in ethnicity and culture, and he does it without reverence or even respect, blending absurdity with harsh realism to tell a surprising story of roots and finding home. The story reads like a great detective novel, filled with nail-biting twists in the plot when you least expect them . . . The characters are well-developed and the settings in Bolivia are painted beautifully, allowing you to immerse yourself in the town that Mario so wants to escape.