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Invasion of the Spirit People
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About This Book
Juan Pablo Villalobos's fifth novel adopts a gentle, fable-like tone, approaching the problem of racism from the perspective that any position as idiotic as xenophobia can only be fought with sheer absurdity. In an unnamed city, colonised by an unnamed world power, an immigrant named Gastón makes his living selling exotic vegetables to eateries around the city. He has a dog called Kitten, who's been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and a good friend called Max, who's in a deep depression after being forced to close his restaurant. Meanwhile, Max's son, Pol, a scientist away on a scientific expedition into the Arctic, can offer little support. Gastón begins a quest, or rather three: he must search for someone to put his dog to sleep humanely; he must find a space in which to open a new restaurant with Max; and he must look into the truth behind the news being sent back by Pol: that human life may be the by-product of an ancient alien attempt at colonisation . . . and those aliens might intend to make a return visit.
Reviews
"Villalobos returns with an on-point satire of immigration politics with the story of Gastón, an empathetic agriculturist who runs a small market garden...Gastón's beloved dog, Kitten, is terminally ill; his best friend, Max, is on the brink of losing his restaurant of nearly 30 years; and Max's son, Pol, has abruptly returned from doing research on a distant tundra...Meanwhile, the city is being transformed as newcomers—'Far Easterners,' 'Near Easterners,' and 'North Easterners'—buy out local businesses and open budget bazaars and corner stores on every block...Throughout, Villalobos hilariously sends up the ways in which racism and xenophobia sully the city's strong cultural identity...Once again, Villalobos proves himself a jester."
"This is a book about xenophobia and racism and the conflicted tug between isolation and community...It makes a fine—and deliciously strange—addition to Villalobos' already grand personal canon...Wrought with tenderness, wit, and a wonderful sense of absurdity, Villalobos' latest novel is a triumph."
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