Gonzalo C. Garcia Telenovela Paperback Book

Set in Santiago towards the end of Pinochets dictatorship, TELENOVELA explores the secret lives of a family swept up in this dark period of Chiles history. There is Lucho bullied by fellow soldiers for his love of poetry, thwarted in his ambitions to become a writer, unhappy at work. He seems like a loving father. He seems plain loveable, in fact. And maybe he is. But as TELENOVELA unfolds, other things come to light about Lucho that are less easy to indulge or forgive. There is Ramona, Luchos wife tormented by anxiety, overwhelmed by selfloathing and body image problems. As a drama student, Ramona once hoped to become a Telenovela star she secretly daydreams that she might still get her big break. Guileless, gentle, Ramona seems like an innocent. But is she? Then there is Pablo, their son dreamy, gentle, eager to make friends, to form his own band and write some worthwhile songs. Desperate to be cool... And increasingly, just desperate. Gonzalo C. Garcia makes us feel for these characters and want to understand them but, as the novel unfolds, come to the frightening realisation of what it really means to have such understanding. And so it is that deeply human and deeply personal stories of mislaid ambition, failure and intergenerational trauma take on national and universal significance. | Gonzalo C. Garcia Telenovela Paperback Book