Books at Sage

28 October 2009 | Uncategorized | salomd

This short (63 pages) novel, translated from Spanish, examines a deadly plague that has hit the inhabitants of an unnamed Mexican city. The narrator has converted his beauty salon into a kind of hospice where those afflicted can spend their dying days. The narrator actually tells us little about the nature of the plague itself (is it AIDS?), and instead focuses on the care and concern he has for these people he does not know. Nevertheless, amidst his exotic fish, he cares for these people as they quickly pass away. The novel seems to be a parable for modern life.

Mario Bellatin, Beauty Salon. San Francisco: City Lights, 2000 (English trans. 2009). 63pp. $10.95. 0872864731.