The Uncomfortable Dead by Subcomandante Marcos and Paco Ignacio Taibo II

The Uncomfortable Dead

Subcomandante Marcos and Paco Ignacio Taibo II

Do serious revolutionaries write crime novels? Well, this one does. Brimming with characters both dead and alive, this book is as intriguing as it is infuriating. A shambling Columbo character and a masked bandit seek justice for the disappeared in Mexico. This is a tricksy book and may tease your patience but the surprise at the end makes it worth the effort.

Extract
For about a week now I’ve been hearing messages on my answering machine from a buddy of mine, only this buddy died in 1969. He was murdered. And now he’s talking to me, leaving me messages. He tells me stories. But I don’t rightly know what it is he wants from me. And I think he’s calling when he knows I’m not home so he can just leave a recording. Maybe it’s a joke, but if it is, it’s a hell of a joke.
Parallels
  • The Motorcycle Diaries - the film
  • Adios, Hemingway by Leonardo Padura-Fuentes
  • The Fairy Gunmother by Daniel Pennac