“Observations and Insights from the Students: Changes in Venezuela”
5.0 out of 5 stars
Format: Paperback
Some readers are skeptical when a novel is listed as having two authors: an two people be so much on the same wave length that they can non-competitively create a story that holds together so well that it seems the work of one person? In the case of HIGH TREASON the answer is emphatically YES! Alberto Ambard is a maxillofacial prosthodontist who was born in Venezuela and grew up there during the events of this book and Amelia Mondragon, born in Spain but grew up in Venezuela, is a professor of literature. Together they capture the flavor and the atmosphere of a country deeply trouble form the years 1988 to 2007. WE get the feeling that the personalities of some of the characters in this novel are based on their own life situations, so real in pulsating drama is their writing.
Part of the pleasure of reading this tightly woven epic is the fact that the authors provides footnotes throughout the book, passages that educate the reader about the realities of Venezuelan culture, food, terminology and most important, the true political events which are woven into the fabric of this novel. They have created a small group of friends - Rodrigo is our main narrator, Manuel, Alfredo and Carmen (Rodrigo's muse and eventual life partner and mother of his child) and Maikel. This disparate group represents the social classes of Venezuela - from the ghetto-type poverty stricken to the slowly disintegrating middle class to the ruling wealthy. And it is through their eyes that we are allowed entry into the paths of change from the varying presidents of the country - Andres Perez, Caldera, through the present president Hugo Chavez. It is a story of social change, economic upheaval, brutality, overthrow and survival.
But for all the atrocities that are committed and the dreams that are damaged in this story the authors still fill the pages with warm, colloquial humor and insight that is part of the young generation's pride. `Three religions coexist in Venezuela: Catholicism, baseball, and beer. The latter worships one god alone, like the Catholic religion, or should I say goddess, La Polar, which dominates 95% of the unsophisticated Venezuelan market.' And in another section of the book the social classes are examined: `The insensitivity of the middle and upper classes toward the domestic help is a sad example of everything that is wrong in Venezuelan society and of how democratic ideals are being eroded. Only when it's too late will our elite wake up from their state of lethargy. And they will have to pay for it.
This is not only fine writing by two sophisticated writers, but this is also a history lesson in the form of a novel. And even more important, the authors have created a small band of friends who become our friends, too. This is an exceptional work that deserves a very wide audience. Grady Harp, July 12
“An absolute must-read for people seeking truth behind Venezuelian recent history”
5.0 out of 5 stars
Format: Paperback
A story becomes meaningful when it evokes my feelings and makes me catch myself remembering its characters and events long after the reading was done. And that is exactly what happened when I finished HIGH TREASON, the novel which takes place in Caracas, Venezuela, throughout 1988-2007.
To be honest, I didn't feel attached to the first part of the story, immersing the reader into a leisurely, warm, constant siesta world of pre-Chavez epoch, lacking exciting passages (as I felt then) and giving the background to the future dramatic events. But my lethargy was completely swept away when I started the second part, told in the third voice, which made the deeper and wider outlook on the developing situation leading to the climax which starts the novel - the assassination attempt on Chavez life. And then the whole picture took on special significance and meaning, giving sharp contrast between two eras: before and after.
And so, finishing the book with a puzzled impression, I opened it again to understand what I missed. And then the magic of the story worked on me miraculously--I perceived every single detail coming to its place, like a thread weaving through the cozy garment which becomes your favorite thing to keep closer to your heart and feel long after it becomes faded and out of fashion. I realized how wrong I was in my initial judgment, and this time thoroughly enjoyed the unhurried pace of the beginning, absorbing the details and conversations which first didn't affect my feelings.
And I understood why—the premise hinting at a political thriller forced me to search its elements in every event, and when I didn't find anything of the kind, I felt deceived and ready to quit reading. I'm so glad I didn't!
I highly recommend this novel to people seeking meaning behind surrounding events—you won't regret any bit of it!