Monday, March 8, 2010

House of the Scorpion

Synopsis: Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium — a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster — except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself.

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrón's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacran Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.

Review: I really liked the book, it was the type that you just can't put down till you get to the end. I really liked the story because it does not follow any of the classic forms of stories, it is not predictable in any way. I found it at the library and decided to read it because of all the medals on the cover; anything with that many awards has to be good to read.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Profanity: Yes, in Spanish
Drugs and Alcohol: LOTS! the story takes place on an Opium farm.
Sexual content: Mild
Violence: Plenty

3 comments:

  1. I really hope to read this one! Thanks for your review, Eddie. ;)

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  2. I'm glad you liked this book. Frankly, I wasn't impressed. But, we've talked about that. :)

    Great review!

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