Lead Review
- Book: Crocodile Tears
- Location: Montevideo
- Author: Mercedes Rosende, Tim Gutteridge (Translator)
I read an article recently that presented Uruguay as a terrific South American nation that has come a long way since its colonial days under Portuguese rule and well worth a visit, a country that ranks thirty-fifth out of 135 countries listed in the Global Peace Index. Not that you would think so reading Crocodile Tears, but then, this fast-paced read is a gritty thriller with a deliciously comedic overtone and an acute eye on the murk that lies at the centre of power and control. Rosende presents Montevideo’s underbelly, and its corrupt institutions and how they collude.
There is no greater joy for the booklover than sinking fast into the story-world of a commanding narrator. Rosende uses language simply and with finesse, providing a terse, steady beat that is instantly engaging. Delivered with microscopic intensity, Rosende treads a fine line between exaggeration, labouring a point and making an impact, and succeeds.
There’s an earthiness in the narrative, immediate, apparent in the first paragraphs and especially vivid in an early chapter in which protagonist Ursula López steals food from the fridge of her childhood home.
To begin with, the men own the stage, the spotlight on delinquent prisoner Diego and murderous psychopath Ricardo Prieto or the Hobo. As the plot unravels, it is Ursula López who moves to stage centre. She really starts to blossom about halfway into the story and it is then that this thriller becomes very, very compelling.
In Crocodile Tears, acid irony is delivered in measured steps. It helps to be aware of the hypocrisy among some Hispanic Catholic churchgoers, as exemplified in lawyer Antinucci’s absurd conscienceless devotion, suggestive perhaps of the collusion of religion and the state that has long been central to the history of Hispanic nations.
Some may find the self-conscious aspects of the narration distracting, bouncing the reader out of the story a little, but this technique does lend a necessary note of irony and comedy. The technique works, I think, because this additional perspective, one of intelligent omniscience, offers additional insight and judgement and holds a position between the reader and the characters. Above all, the cast of characters that are so intensely under the spotlight are sharply defined and comically depicted with their absurd irrational anxieties. Little wonder Crocodile Tears has been likened to Fargo.
The ending leaves much to the imagination and won’t satisfy those who want their shoe laces tied for them, twice, but I rather liked the denouement; it was economical and suggestive. And when you get to the end, it’s worth reflecting on the novel’s title.
There is no glossy travel brochure here. The sense of place Rosende provides is as much psychological as geographical. And the author pulls no punches when it comes to describing what you won’t find in a travel brochure. In all, Crocodile Tears is a terrific addition to the stable of top-notch thrillers worldwide. Anyone addicted to La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) will especially love this book. A highly entertaining read.
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