Poso Wells

Poso Wells

Celebrated Ecuadorian author Gabriela Alemán's first work to appear in English: a noir, feminist eco-thriller in which venally corrupt politicians and greedy land speculators finally get their just comeuppance! "In the squalid settlement of Poso Wells, women have been regularly disappearing, but the authorities have shown little interest. When the leading presidential candidate comes to town, he and his entourage are electrocuted in a macabre accident witnessed by a throng of astonished spectators. The sole survivor—next in line for the presidency—inexplicably disappears from sight. Gustavo Varas, a principled journalist, picks up the trail, which leads him into a violent, lawless underworld. Bella Altamirano, a fearless local, is on her own crusade to pierce the settlement's code of silence, ignoring repeated death threats. It turns out that the disappearance of the candidate and those of the women are intimately connected, and not just to a local crime wave, but to a multinational magnate's plan to plunder the country's cloud forest preserve. Praise for  Poso Wells : "The story is a condemnation not only of the corrupt businessmen and the criminal gangs that rule Poso Wells but also of the violence against women that plagues Latin America's real slums."— The New Yorker "One part Thomas Pynchon, one part Gabriel García Marquez, and one part Raymond Chandler, Alemán’s novel contains mystery, horror, humor, absurdity, and political commentary … A concoction of political thriller and absurdist literary mystery that never fails to entertain."— Kirkus Reviews "A wild, successful satire of Ecuadorian politics and supernatural encounters. … Alemán’s singular voice keeps the ride fresh and satisfying."— Publishers Weekly " Poso Wells is ironic, audacious, and fierce. But what is it, exactly? A satire? A scifi novel? A political detective yarn? Or the purest reality of contemporary Latin America. It's unclassifiable—as all great books are."— Samanta Schweblin , author of Fever Dream " Poso Wells is brilliant, audacious, doubtlessly playful and at the same time so dark and bitter. A truly unforgettable book."— Alejandro Zambra , author of Multiple Choice An ABA Summer/Fall 2018 Indies Introduce & August 2018 Indie Next Selection "Best Fiction of 2018" Powell's Books "The Smartest Beach Reads of 2018" BBC " Poso Wells is ironic, audacious, and fierce. But what is it, exactly? A satire? A scifi novel? A political detective yarn? Or the purest reality of contemporary Latin America. It's unclassifiable—as all great books are."— Samanta Schweblin , author of Fever Dream " Poso Wells is brilliant, audacious, doubtlessly playful and at the same time so dark and bitter. A truly unforgettable book."— Alejandro Zambra , author of Multiple Choice "The story is a condemnation not only of the corrupt businessmen and the criminal gangs that rule Poso Wells but also of the violence against women that plagues Latin America's real slums."— The New Yorker "One part Thomas Pynchon, one part Gabriel García Márquez, and one part Raymond Chandler, Alemán's novel contains mystery, horror, humor, absurdity, and political commentary … A concoction of political thriller and absurdist literary mystery that never fails to entertain." — Kirkus Reviews "Alemán's first novel to be translated into English is a wild, successful satire of Ecuadorian politics and supernatural encounters. … Alemán's singular voice keeps the ride fresh and satisfying."— Publishers Weekly “Alemán takes aim at the social, cultural and ecological woes that plague a country that has been plundered for centuries. … Alemán is thoroughly Ecuadorian, but she’s also steeped in comic books, Hollywood classics and H.G. Wells’ fiction, including the short story 'The Country of the Blind,' which helped inspire some of the characters in Poso Wells . Dick Cluster, the translator, has fused the poetic with the tabloid and brought the work of one of Latin America's rising literary stars to readers in North America. Poso Wells can be read with pleasure in one long sitting and then reread for nuances and subtleties that surprise and entertain.”— San Francisco Chronicle "Alemán’s voice, as translated from the Spanish by Dick Cluster, is fresh and deliciously absurd.”— BBC " Poso Wells is a perfect complement for the current political state of the United States and the hopelessness caused by constant access to terrible news via social media. The story speaks to the delusion and god complex involved in wanting to lead an entire nation and the destructive power of indifference and greed. It also touches on the silence behind the pervasive violence women encounter in their daily lives. Alemán has created a disturbing, absurd, at times heart-wrenching story about the atrocities committed by patriarchs in power and the difficulty in fighting against colonialism. If anything, Poso Wells is a book about perseverance and resilience. It speaks to the fight human beings have inside t