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Title details for The Shamshine Blind by Paz Pardo - Wait list

The Shamshine Blind

A Novel

by Paz Pardo
Aida Reluzco
Audiobook
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A beguiling blend of noir detective story and science fiction perfect for fans of Michael Chabon and Emily St. John Mandel, "this fiercely intelligent and utterly original debut" (Anna North, New York Times bestselling author) imagines a world where emotions have been weaponized, and a small-town law enforcement agent uncovers a conspiracy to take down what's left of American democracy.
In an alternate 2009, the United States has been a second-rate power for a quarter of a century, ever since Argentina's victory in the Falkland's War thanks to their development of "psychopigments." Created as weapons, these colorful chemicals can produce almost any human emotion upon contact, and they have been embraced in the US as both pharmaceutical cure-alls and popular recreational drugs. Black market traders illegally sell everything from Blackberry Purple (which causes terror) to Sunshine Yellow (which delivers happiness).

Psychopigment Enforcement Agent Kay Curtida works a beat in Daly City, just outside the ruins of San Francisco, chasing down smalltime crooks. But when an old friend shows up with a tantalizing lead on a career-making case, Curtida's humdrum existence suddenly gets a boost. Little does she know that this case will send her down a tangled path of conspiracy and lead to an overdue reckoning with her family and with the truth of her own emotions.

Told in the voice of a funny, brooding, Latinx Sam Spade, The Shamshine Blind is "a rip-roaring beautifully crafted mash-up of cop noir, sci-fi, and alt-history that left me dazzled by its prescience and literary zing" (Leah Hampton, author of F*ckface).

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 14, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781797150888
      • File size: 317845 KB
      • Duration: 11:02:10

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Aida Reluzco transports listeners to an alternate version of 2009, when Argentina is the most powerful country in the world by virtue of having won a war through the use of "psychopigments," weaponized chemicals that can induce any feeling in a human through ingestion or absorption. Psychopigment Enforcement Agent Kay Curtida's job is busting small-time psychopigment dealers--that is, until she gets involved with a high-profile case that would take the threat of the chemicals to a new, more devastating level. Reluzco gives Curtida a world-weary Latinx vibe that perfectly conveys the blend of conspiracy theory, science fiction, and noir that characterizes this debut novel. How do you trust your gut feelings when they can be produced chemically? L.M.G. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from July 1, 2023

      Argentine American playwright Pardo's breathtaking debut novel transports listeners to an alternate 2009 where chemical weapons called psychopigments have changed the balance of world power. Argentina employed these chemicals--which can induce any emotion, from happiness (Sunshine Yellow) to ennui (Slate Gray)--to win the Falklands War and dominate the world. In a broken United States, Kay Curtida, a small-town detective investigating shady pigment dealers, uncovers a dangerous conspiracy with multinational corporations, big biopharma, and government entities ruthlessly vying for power. Cuban American narrator Aida Reluzco gives voice to Curtida, channeling her low-key demeanor and gritty resolve, whether facing casual workplace sexism and ageism or confronting devastating chemical warfare. Her depiction of Curtida's personal growth--grieving a lost colleague and, by extension, her father; allowing herself to appreciate her own talents, acumen, and vulnerability--is piercing. Reluzco's characterizations are spot-on, but it is her pitch-perfect portrayal of this bleak world, full of conflicting emotions, unresolved grief, double dealings, and greed, that makes this audio sing. VERDICT Pardo's riveting alternate-history noir is as multilayered and rich as the pigments she describes. This highly original, heady blend of mystery, noir, and science fiction is not to be missed.--Sarah Hashimoto

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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