The Shadow

Fiction. Latino/Latina Studies. This taut little novel is set in postrevolutionary Mexico. For years, Antonio Cuitla fought to wrest the land away from the aristocracy. Now he leads a small village, but he feels the people there don’t give him the respect he deserves for his efforts as a soldier. Cuitla’s annoyance blossoms into rage when the people reject his counsel for that of Del Toro, who argues for greater land distribution. Del Toro’s enemy is Don Jose, a wealthy landowner. A man of breeding and privilege, Don Jose represents everything the Revolution opposed–and yet Cuitla yearns for the respect and power he possesses. Eventually, Cuitla’s inner demons push him into an unwanted confrontation with Don Jose. In the larger sense, Paredes’ tale is about the enduring legacy of class warfare, but in his Cuitla, there’s a compelling sketch of a warrior trying to readjust in peacetime –Brian McCombie, Booklist.