Book Review: Mexico City Noir
Mexico City Noir, edited by Paco Ignacio Taibo II, translated by Achy Obejas (Akashic Books, $15.95, trade paperback original, 9781933354903/1933354909, February 1, 2010)
In his introduction, Paco Ignacio Taibo II celebrates Mexico City "for having the most diverse collection of jokes about death, for setting the record for the most political protest in one year and for having two invisible volcanoes." Could anyone dream of a more perfect backdrop for stories of characters with their backs against the wall as cold-blooded antagonists exploit every known means to make them sweat, squirm and maybe die?
Earlier titles in Akashic Press's Noir series focused on the dark sides of Portland (edited by Kevin Sampsell), Istanbul (edited by Mustafa Ziyalan and Amy Spangler) and Havana (edited by Achy Obejas) and established a high standard for rich and surprising portraits of towns we've visited but never seen this way before. Mexico City Noir surpasses that standard with phantasmagorical tales of double-dealing, corruption, violence and self-delusion.
Taibo tells us that his 12 contributors all face the daunting challenges of life in their beloved city with dark humor (a key to survival, he says). Macabre wit is certainly present and accounted for, with characters as different as a wealthy art collector who is much more than she appears and a distressed transsexual dancer (formerly a cop) who confesses his secret to a priest (who reveals that he used to be a nun, so no big deal). These characters are in real trouble; they are also fiercely alive and fighting to stay that way. In moments of crisis, they ask themselves "Is there anything more beautiful than flying toward death?" or divide up responsibility at the scene of the crime with the simple logic of "You're the literature guy. I have to solve a murder."
This collection is such a varied literary feast. Fans of Jorge Luis Borges will find surprises galore in the story "Violeta Isn't Here Anymore." The noir-ish maze that Myriam Laurini constructs with her flair for the shifting realities of "magical realism" is dazzling enough, and then up pops Borges (I will stop there to avoid spoiling the fun).
Peel back one layer and find something totally unexpected, these tales tell us again and again. As Eduardo Monteverde writes, "the heart of Mexico City is made of mud and green rocks, and the God of Rain continues to cry over the whole country." And standing on that ground, the 12 writers here find inspiration to die for.--John McFarland
Shelf Talker: A stellar addition to Akashic Press's growing city-by-city Noir series--the touches of magical realism sweeten the sensation of blood coursing through gutters and bullets grazing the skull.
