His magnificent Stranger to the Moon portrays a world that seems to exist outside history and geography, but taps into the dark myths and collective subconscious of his country's harrowing inequality and violence. 'The writer Evelio Rosero has never been one to shy away from the darker aspects of Colombia's history and society. Stranger to the Moon is a powerfully brave and distinctive novel by a writer who is arguably Colombia's greatest living author'. Trained insects and reptiles spy on all the naked-ones, and only the most fortunate reach old age (often by taking up strategic spots near the kitchen and grabbing for the fiercely contested food). Each subsequent section of the book adds further layers to the ritualistic and bizarre social order that its characters inhabit. A parable of pointed social criticism, with naked humans imprisoned in a house to serve the needs of 'the vicious clothed-ones,' the novel describes what ensues when a single 'naked-one' privately rebels, risking his own death and that of his fellow prisoners.

(Sept.'The writer Evelio Rosero has never been one to shy away from the darker aspects of Colombia's history and society.

Character-driven, focused, and determined in its study of appearance versus reality, this social commentary is rendered with colorful aplomb. The opening section detailing Tancredo's weekly duties is especially noteworthy McLean and Milsom perfectly portray the chaotic, yet mundane atmosphere. Fans of Hispanophone literature will appreciate Bogot%C3%A1 serving as the backdrop for simmering passions as well as Catholic corruption. When the employees who remain behind (including Sabina, the three Lilias, and Tancredo) reveal their displeasure as overworked individuals, among other confessions, they expose the underside of institutionalized care. Despite the simple premise%E2%80%94a parish priest and sacristan's departure results in the evening service being performed by the eccentric, vocally talented Father Matamoros%E2%80%94this slim work becomes a lively enactment of the idiom 'When the cat's away, the mice will play,' as well as a sobering look at resentment. In his second novel translated into English, award-winning Rosero (The Armies) documents a night in the life of hunchback and charity worker Tancredo, a man whose church conceals underhanded activities.

Stranger to the Moon by Evelio Rosero