July 1, 2024
A former revolutionary confronts the violent realities of the Hugo Ch�vez era in this multigenerational drama set in the hospitals, prisons, and jungles of contemporary Venezuela. Injured in the field, ardent young Stanislavo Atanas falls for a tough, tender guerilla nurse named Emiliana. But when she becomes pregnant, Stanislavo's loyalty to his revolutionary colleagues prevails. Years later, the socialist revolutionary movement has collapsed, and Stanislavo, now a morally exhausted journalist, toils "trying to write the same story . . . that he had written since Ch�vez came to power." But Maria, the mother of Eloy, a young boy gut-shot in the crossfire of an anti-Ch�vez coup attempt, may allow Stanislavo a chance at redemption. Inspired by revolutionary-turned-journalist and politician Teodoro Petkoff as well as a scary altercation between the author's brother and a gun-wielding assailant, Puyana's debut novel connects the dots between the revolutionary moment of the 1960s and Venezuela's chaotic, corruption-torn present. Although fear and violence abound, so does the author's reverence for Emiliana and Maria, the strong women who give the novel a sense of hope.
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Starred review from July 8, 2024
Puyana debuts with a gripping story of a family shaped by Venezuela’s tumultuous history during the Cold War and early 21st century. In 1964, 20-something Stanislavo Atanas joins a leftist guerrilla movement, through which he meets and falls in love with Emiliana Rodriguez. After he’s captured and imprisoned by the government, he makes a dramatic escape. Emiliana then reveals she’s six months pregnant with their child, but the couple are separated again as Stanislavo prioritizes freeing his comrades from prison, prompting Emiliana to vow he’ll never know his child. In 2002, after Emiliana has died of breast cancer, their daughter, Maria, rushes her nine-year-old son, Eloy, to the hospital after he’s wounded by a stray bullet during a gang fight. She unexpectedly meets Stanis, whom her mother told her about, and who’s now a reporter. Stanis helps save Eloy’s life, but Maria doesn’t reveal their connection to him. The wrenching final section, set in 2012, follows a grown-up Eloy as he faces a new kind of danger, prompting Maria to consider reaching out to Stanis for help. Puyana’s beautifully crafted narrative explores the complexity of his characters’ choices and loyalties. It’s impossible to put down. Agent: Emily Forland, Brandt & Hochman Literary.
July 15, 2024
Youthful decisions come to haunt the lives of Venezuelans living through decades of social and political upheaval. Puyana's debut novel launches with a propulsive, pulse-quickening prologue set during a day of massive political protest in 2002. Mar�a, a single mother and housekeeper living in the Caracas barrio, is home for the day as the city braces for demonstrations and counter-demonstrations. When, caught in gunfire, her beloved 9-year-old son is shot and seriously wounded, Mar�a's frantic search for help and transport to medical care vividly illustrates the abysmal conditions endured by impoverished Venezuelans (even after years of revolutionary activity). Chaos in the hospital leads to a civilian assisting at Eloy's surgery. What follows is an expansive chronicle of the interwoven lives of people who began as true believers in the Movement of the 1960s, centering on the experiences of Stanislavo Atanas, the privileged son of European �migr� doctors who escaped the Holocaust. His involvement with the guerrilla forces becomes fraught but does bring him love with Emiliana Rodr�guez, an Indigenous nurse secretly assisting those forces. When tactical expediencies and a poor decision on Stanislavo's part rupture the romance, their lives proceed on separate courses. It's only much later in life that a world-weary and less idealistic Stanislavo learns of Emiliana's journey (and what his role in her destiny was). An action-packed narrative carries Stanislavo through those decades, and Puyana delivers graphic portraits of the seats of power and wealth as well as life in the Venezuelan barrios, jails, and jungles. Stanislavo's later career as a journalist allows Puyana to convey the complexities of the country's military and political situations, but ultimately the saga is one of love, loss, and opportunities for recognition and redemption. Cinematic settings, evolving characters, and an explosive plot support a story of love and politics.
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