A review by hay_jude
Conversation in the Cathedral by Gregory Rabassa, Mario Vargas Llosa

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I set myself the challenge of reading this novel in Spanish during the pandemic lockdown so it has taken a long time to finish as I read each chapter in English afterwards to make sure I hadn't missed too much. It proved a big challenge but had the advantage of really making me think about and get involved with the characters as the story unfolded. The fact that the story was told in flashbacks and leapt about in different time periods which were not clearly delineated by the writer, especially in the first part of the novel, made this an even more complex read, particularly at the beginning. The conversation between Santiago and Ambrosio takes them back in time over their lives in 1950's Peru, a time of political instability and corruption and social upheaval. Whereas Santiago is a member of a wealthy family, whose father is an influential politician, Ambrosio is a servant, sometime driver to Santiago's father but later in the pay of Cayo Bermudez, a corrupt aparachnik and security chief to the dictator, General Ordria. The book examines how the corrupt politics affects the lives and relationships of the two men having the conversation.In doing so it covers Santiago's early idealism gradually being worn down into cynicism and the distance that arises between him and his family as his disillusionment sets in. Meanwhile Ambrosio, as a poor black man, has his life much more directly affected, experiencing poverty, prejudice and personal tragedy in a life where he has very little power to affect events. For Santiago it is more a question of personal choice to reject his life of privilege as his working life as a journalist reveals the darkness and corruption at the heart of government. The figure of Santiago's father, Don Fermín is revered by Ambrosio but ultimately rejected by Santiago as his involvement in political dirty dealings gradually become clear to him. This is a big sprawling novel which tells you a lot about Peruvian society at a certain time in history. I very much enjoyed it.It was worth the effort!