A thriller set in 1990s Peru
Nobel Prize laureate Mario Vargas Llosa is back with his latest novel, “The Neighborhood,” a thriller set in the turbulent period of 1990s Peru, when a terrorist group waged a bloody guerrilla war; the government imposed a strict nightly curfew; and the whims of the military impeded daily life. The book follows the intersecting plot lines of Enrique, a wealthy businessperson caught up in an alleged sex scandal; Juan Peinata, a former professional poetry reciter down on his luck; and Shorty, an ambitious young female journalist.
At first glance, “The Neighborhood” is a thriller begging for more thrill. Vargas Llosa’s prose — at least in Edith Grossman’s workmanlike translation — is here flaccid and uninspired.
When Shorty’s boss is found dead after publishing a scathing political exposé, the three main characters become entangled in a drama that causes each to fear for their lives.
The novel is a clear indictment of Peru’s ruling elite under the 1990s regime of Alberto Fujimori. Vargas Llosa lost the 1990 presidential election to Fujimori, and he’s at his best when bringing an insider’s knowledge to the sordid nexus of corrupt interests that mark this period of Peruvian history.
The author is superbly skilled at demonstrating how class and race intersect to privilege or undermine ordinary Peruvians.