Lo verdadero es un momento de lo falso. (Truth Is Naught but an Instant of Falsehood)

Etxebarria delivers everything a reader could possibly want from a work of fiction: indelible characters, an engrossing plot, and strong ideas. Pumuky, the novel's antihero, is the skirt-chasing, charismatic, but not terribly talented lead singer of a popular band. When his body turns up in the outskirts of Madrid, everyone in his life believes that he or she knows what really happened, and everyone in his life has a motive. Only the readers see all the pieces to this puzzle and get a sense of what really happened, and even then they won't know for sure. What they do know from the raw picture provided by Etxebarria is how cruel life often is. Evident in this thriller from the first few pages-and even in its title-is the idea of hyper-reality, as discussed by minds like Guy Debord and Jean Baudrillard. Throughout, Etxebarria asks what truth really is and expects the same of her readers. For Pumuky, truth equals smoke and mirrors; he was not even a good singer but believed he was because his showboating persuaded enough people; once he got rich and famous, it no longer mattered. Strongly recommended for adult audiences and literature and philosophy students.—Vivian Gómez, Woodside, NY