"American Visa is beautifully written, atmospheric, and stylish in the
manner of Chandler . . . a smart, exotic crime fiction
offering."--George Pelecanos, author of The Night Gardener
American Visa is a stunning literary achievement. It is insightful and
poignant, a book every thoughtful American should read, and once read,
read again.--William Heffernan, Edgar Award-winning author of The
Corsican
In his search for an American visa, the high school teacher in this
novel embodies the dreams and aspirations of many would-be immigrants
south of the border. This is a thriller with a social conscience, a
contemporary noir with lots of humor and flair. The streets of La Paz
have never looked so alive. This is one of the best Latin American
novels of the last fifteen years. --Edmundo Paz-Soldan, author of
Turing's Delirium
Mario Alvarez is tremendous, an everyman desperate to escape Bolivia's
despair who can't elude his own tricks of self-sabotage. At a time when
the debate around U.S. immigration reduces many people around the world
to caricatures, this singular and provocative portrait of the issue will
connect with readers of all political stripes. --Arthur Nersesian,
author of Suicide Casanova
Armed with fake papers, a handful of gold nuggets, and a snazzy
custom-made suit, an unemployed schoolteacher with a singular passion
for detective fiction sets out from small-town Bolivia on a desperate
quest for an American visa, his best hope for escaping his painful past
and reuniting with his grown son in Miami.
Mario Alvarez's dream of emigration takes a tragicomic twist on the
rough streets of La Paz, Bolivia's seat of government. Alvarez embarks
on a series of Kafkaesque adventures, crossing paths with a colorful
cast of hustlers, social outcasts, and crooked politicians--and
initiating a romance with a straight-shooting prostitute named Blanca.
Spurred on by his detective fantasies and his own tribulations, he
hatches a plan to rob a wealthy gold dealer, a decision that draws him
into a web of high-society corruption but also brings him closer than
ever to obtaining his ticket to paradise.
Juan de Recacoechea was born in La Paz, Bolivia, and worked as a
journalist in Europe for almost twenty years. After returning to his
native country, he helped found Bolivia's first state-run television
network, served as its general manager, and dedicated himself to fiction
writing. Recacoechea is the author of seven novels. American Visa is
his first novel to be translated into English.
