Latin Moon in Manhattan : A Novel (Stonewall Inn Editions)

Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel of the immigrant experience in the U.S.
Review: "Latin Moon in Manhattan," by Jaime Manrique, is a wonderfully funny and moving novel. The protagonist, Sammy, is a gay, Colombian-born poet who lives in New York City (where the novel mainly takes place). The novel is full of colorful, engaging characters (such as a midget hooker named Hot Sauce and a parrot named Simon Bolivar). The novel follows Sammy as he spends time with his family, with the Colombian community in NYC, at his stressful job as an interpreter, and with his circle of friends and neighbors.

Manrique expertly blends comedy and tragedy, as well as realism and humorous absurdism, in this story. Although the novel is full of appealing silly moments, Manrique also deals with many serious topics, such as ethnic/national identity, literary politics, AIDS, and anti-gay prejudice. He treats his characters with insight and compassion. And throughout, the novel is enriched with the spicy tastes of Latin American food and the rhythms of Latin music. Also adding to the rich flavor of "Latin Moon" are the many cultural references (both pop culture and "high" culture) that are woven into the dialogue and narration.

"Latin Moon" is at times wildly outrageous. The first chapter, for example, ends with one of the most hilarious, explicit, taboo-busting sex scenes that I have ever encountered in literature. But such over-the-top elements are just part of a book with a tender heart and a keen intelligence. Also recommended: the same author's nonfiction prose work "Eminent Maricones," and his poetry collection "My Night With Federico Garcia Lorca."

Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel of the immigrant experience in the U.S.
Review: "Latin Moon in Manhattan," by Jaime Manrique, is a wonderfully funny and moving novel. The protagonist, Sammy, is a gay, Colombian-born poet who lives in New York City (where the novel mainly takes place). The novel is full of colorful, engaging characters (such as a midget hooker named Hot Sauce and a parrot named Simon Bolivar). The novel follows Sammy as he spends time with his family, with the Colombian community in NYC, at his stressful job as an interpreter, and with his circle of friends and neighbors.

Manrique expertly blends comedy and tragedy, as well as realism and humorous absurdism, in this story. Although the novel is full of appealing silly moments, Manrique also deals with many serious topics, such as ethnic/national identity, literary politics, AIDS, and anti-gay prejudice. He treats his characters with insight and compassion. And throughout, the novel is enriched with the spicy tastes of Latin American food and the rhythms of Latin music. Also adding to the rich flavor of "Latin Moon" are the many cultural references (both pop culture and "high" culture) that are woven into the dialogue and narration.

"Latin Moon" is at times wildly outrageous. The first chapter, for example, ends with one of the most hilarious, explicit, taboo-busting sex scenes that I have ever encountered in literature. But such over-the-top elements are just part of a book with a tender heart and a keen intelligence. Also recommended: the same author's nonfiction prose work "Eminent Maricones," and his poetry collection "My Night With Federico Garcia Lorca."

Rating:
Summary: To Laugh for a Change - It's Healthy!
Review: Santiago Martinez is a Colombian poet struggling to live in New York City at a time when everyone seems to equate Colombians with the cocaine trade and crime. Santiago wants nothing more than to be able to pay his rent and to finish the epic poem he is writing about Christopher Columbus. He's a quiet guy, this Santiago, and he's gay. Interestingly enough, the fact that he is gay is not that important to the novel. That he is Colombian overrides his sexuality, and his desire to write rules his life. This is not our typical look at gay life in the late 80s, early 90s. It is more the story of a sensitive man born into a lively culture. Manrique's descriptions of Santiago's family and of Colombians living in New York in general, are vivid and convincing. He has managed to paint - in splendid oils - a portrait of a tropical people transported to the North and living the American dream . . . .or at least trying to. There are some incredibly funny scenes in LATIN MOON IN MANHATTAN, scenes that are funny and refreshing at the same time. One that comes to mind is Santiago's visit to a friend dying of AIDS. Unlike most gay novels dealing with this topic during this time period, Manrique has managed to come up with a wonderfully humorous moment between two friends. Death is turned into something other than dying. And by no means is Manrique irreverent, for Santiago sees everything for what it is and the reader is able to feel for him as he moves about the city, living among three cultures: the Colombian community, the gay world, and New York in general. The novel moves along, action-wise, much like a film, and it is easy to see how it could be made into an excellent one. Manrique must be commended on his quirky characters and, most of all, on his ability to make the reader relax and laugh, something that is rare in contemporary literature. LATIN MOON IN MANHATTAN is great - and well-written - FUN.