REMEDIOS

In this novel, an old friend begins operating a methamphetamine plant on a professor’s land outside Remedios, a fictional village in Guatemala.

After making some bad investments and putting an addition on his house, Don Fernando, a university professor, has financial issues. He borrows money from the “Rattlesnake,” a loan shark with dangerous local connections, in an effort to get his head above water. Then Memo Golindo, a friend from 30 years ago, reappears and asks Fernando if he knows of a place he can rent. Worried about his debts, Fernando offers Memo a house on his property. Memo, a former member of the Kaibiles—a special operations force of the Guatemalan army—has ties to a dangerous drug cartel in Mexico. So when Memo suggests they build a small chemical factory on Fernando’s land to produce something called “methylamine and phenyl acetic acid,” or crystal meth, the professor is apprehensive but agrees because of his money problems. What follows is a gripping family drama involving Fernando; his wife, Sandra; and their son, Félix, as they fall under the captivating spell of Memo and his mysterious past. The tension in this story builds at a suspenseful pace, making it a real page-turner. Lush descriptions of Remedios add vibrancy to the setting: “Unpruned bushes sent out rangy sprays of bug-eaten roses, a bougainvillea climbed a tree half strangled in its magenta blossoms, and orange trees were heavy with unharvested fruit.” One major flaw is that both Guatemala and Mexico are depicted as countries that are corrupt, dangerous, and riddled with drug cartels. Even though Clearman calls Guatemala her second home, she is an American, and her portrayal of the nation may be considered culturally insensitive.

A thrilling but flawed tale of how a man upends a Guatemalan’s life.