Book Review: Saint Death
I'm not planning to do many book reviews (mostly because I read a lot and you'll get bored) but this book was seriously amazing. Marcus Sedgwick is a great author anyway, but this book is definitely one of his best.
Don't worry, I'm not planning on giving away any spoilers in case you want to read it (which, by the way, you totally do).
Saint Death is set in Mexico, on the border between Mexico and the USA. This, of course, is very topical at the moment (Trump!) and was heartbreaking to think about- many Mexican citizens are being exploited by a country that separates itself by a small, broken fence and calls itself the 'Land of the Free'.
The book starts with a body floating in a river, a young woman who, the police will probably assume, was trying to make it to America.
Then we meet the main character, Arturo, who lives in Juàrez, and follow him through his story. His 'brother' is in deep trouble with the cartel, and Arturo must save him. The suspense is masterly built and my stomach was tied in knots as Arturo gambles for his friend's freedom.
I felt truly immersed in the Spanish language and culture, with Spanish punctuation and lots of Spanish words and phrases.
Throughout the book, there are clippings from Social Media, newspapers etc. Many of these are incredibly sad and/or thought-provoking. They illustrate the fact that our world is a mess right now- global warming, refugees, exploitation and great evils.
One of the main reasons that I loved this book was because of its message. Immigration is such a timely topic right now, especially with Brexit happening in the UK and Trump happening in the USA. It is so sad to think that there is an irrational fear of those who simply want to take their children out of lives full of fear.
Sedgwick goes one step further and suggests that everyone is an immigrant apart from those in Africa. He writes:
"And they end up in the rich countries, and you know what people say... ¡Migrants! ¡illegal aliens! But everyone is a migrant, everyone, outside of the African cradle. It's just a question of how back in time you care to look..."
It makes you think, doesn't it?
This book was so powerful, and just goes to show that the pen is mightier than the sword. So give it a read, and see what you think. I leave you with another thought from the book, about the 'greatness' of a capitalist society:
¿How can there be a consumer society when its workers do not earn enough to consume anything?
*If anyone does read it, what do you think about the link between the beginning and the end? I want to know that I'm not just making random connections!
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