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Marcianita Pessanha marcianitapessanha — Original review posted on Layers of Thought. A young adult dystopian that sounds so realistic in the audio version that it’s frightening. Funny and heartbreaking, it will help readers think about what our world could become if capitalistic advertising is allowed to run wild in combination with technology. About: It appears that Titus is a regular teenager, the only difference is that in his world everyone has a “feed” implanted in their brain. It transmits constant personalized ads into their vision and auditory senses, including a way to keep in constant contact with anyone at anytime. It’s responsible for the fact that actual reading has become a thing of the past, since all communications are voice and thought activated via the “feed”. Sadly, also in this world the oceans are toxic, sterile, and no fish exist all in response to their rampant consumerism. It's all too normal for Titus and his friends. As they party, take trips to the moon, and ingest the occasional mind altering substance, they lead their “normal lives” with a “party on attitude”. However, this world view is about to change when Titus meets a girl named Violet who is very different from anyone he knows. He begins to realize that, along with all the teen fun and games, there is an underlying angst and horror which they are all trying desperately to ignore and marginalize. Thoughts: I enjoyed listening to this book in audio, with its well done and interesting sound effects. Told in first person by Titus, it’s coupled with their future version of “teen speak”. I dare you not to go around calling friends and family members “Unit” instead of “Dude” or other current young adult colloquialism. There was a romantic element to the story which is told from the guy’s perspective which I enjoyed. With a realistic ending that is not your “drive into the sunset” cliché. There are a good number of interesting science based elements in addition to the implant – including cloning and hover cars, however the best bit is how the actual feed sounds in this audio version that I think is particularly brilliant. I enjoyed this novel in audio and would recommend it for any teen (adult too) who enjoys a good dystopian. I could even imagine using the written version within the classroom as a modern day trade out for 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, or perhaps in tandem with required high school readings; giving a fresher perspective to the classics. I give this audio version a 4 stars, since in addition to the author’s creative technological ideas which are a key to the book, the reader and audio producer have also contributed to create a darkly funny and all to realistic “listen”.

Khoa Hagon _hoa_anoize — A fictionalized account of the assassination of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the mid-twentieth century dictator of the Dominican Republic, Feast of the Goat should have been a swift and thrilling novel. Unfortunately, the author’s clunky and uneven storytelling structure ultimately drowns the fascinating plot in a multitude of half-drawn characters. Having a personal interest in Latin-American and Caribbean history and literature, I was interested to read Mario Vargas Llosa’s retelling of Trujillo’s killing at the hands of a covert group of rebels, and intrigued by the intertwined storyline of Urania Cabral, the daughter of one of Trujillo’s inner circle, who remembers the dictator’s last days from a distance of 35 years. The book begins with her surprise return visit to the Dominican Republic, after a self-imposed exile in the United States beginning at age 14. During this time, by her own choice, Urania has been estranged from her family left behind in the Dominican Republic. Over the course of the novel, the reason unfolds: as a child, her father Augustín Cabral, an upper-level minister in Trujillo’s coterie, had fallen from the despot’s good graces. In order to try and win back his good standing, he did the unthinkable- offering his virgin teenage daughter to Trujillo for a night of sexual pleasure. For the first half of the book, each chapter bounces between three points of view: that of Urania, age 49, back in the Dominican Republic for the first time, visiting her aged and invalid father; that of Trujillo himself, on the last day of his life; and an alternating viewpoint amongst four of Trujillo’s assassins, waiting on the side of the road where they know his chauffeured car is soon to pass, and from where they will cut it off and shoot him dead. This is already a good deal of characters to keep track of, but it works for a while. However, at the midway point of the book Trujillo is killed, and the structure, such as it was falls apart. To replace the loss of Trujillo’s perspective, Llosa filled the tyrant’s void with voices of additional cohorts in the assassination plan. He also returns to some others to whom he has dedicated previous chapters, but there seems to be no consistency in voice. As a result, I found it difficult as the reader to keep track of all the characters and their various back-stories. Urania’s plotline gets lost amidst all of this, which is the true pity, because she is the one constant throughout the book. However, her character is never fully developed and as a result I felt little compassion for her. Why does she return to the Dominican Republic after all these years? Why now? There seems to be no motivation for her actions. She is a cold person, and the slow, painful unveiling of her story is meant to explain and justify her aloofness, but she never really endears herself to the reader. Though I wanted to care for her, and about her suffering, I simply did not. One side note about the book: it is not for the faint. Scenes of torture and monstrosity are painstakingly depicted. I wish Llosa had relished streamlining his story and developing his characters as much as he seems to have relished writing these gruesome episodes.