Todos Santos

by Deborah Clearman

Overview

“Clearman paints a vivid picture of the gritty and graceful sights of Guatemala as well as of the human heart, while touching upon the universal instinct to protect our children from real and imagined threats.”Holly MacArthur, managing editor of Tin House

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937854621
Publisher:	Dzanc Books
Publication date:	08/31/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	514 KB

About the Author

Deborah Clearman wrote and illustrated The Goose's Tale for children. Her short stories for adults have appeared in Connecticut Review, Ginger Hill, Oasis, and other literary magazines and anthologies. Her paintings and prints have been widely exhibited in galleries and museums. She is Program Director for NY Writers Coalition, a nonprofit organization that provides free and low-cost creative writing workshops.

Editorial Reviews

Humiliated by her husband's recent infidelities, Iowan artist Catherine Barnes journeys to exotic, politically tumultuous Guatemala to get some space and begin work on a new picture book, accompanied by her troubled teenage son, Isaac, who recently flunked out of eighth grade. The plan is for Isaac to work at his aunt's handicrafts store--a kind of "tough-love boot camp"--while Catherine explores the mountainous Mayan village of Todos Santos for painting subjects; the plan hits a snag after Isaac makes a series of bad decisions that lead to his abduction. As Isaac tries to get himself out of trouble, Catherine finds herself the target of local superstitions regarding foreigners and baby snatching. With the help of a handsome, warmhearted tour guide, Catherine draws on forgotten reserves of strength and independence to cope with the town's animosity and her son's disappearance. Clearman (The Goose's Tale) has a fluid, readable style, but her characters can lack emotional credibility and her stranger-ina-strange-land plot line fails to surprise. Nevertheless, Catherine and Isaac reach some satisfying conclusions about themselves and their future, making this a worthwhile read. (July)

Publishers Weekly