"THEY'RE COWS, WE'RE PIGS"

by Carmen Boullosa ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1997

This first English translation of a popular Mexican author reputedly akin to GarcÁa MÊrquez is in fact a tedious tale (set mainly in the 17th-century Caribbean) of the life dared and enjoyed by pirates (""pigs"") as compared to the dreary mundane existence endured by ordinary people (""cows""). Jean Smeeks, Boullosa's narrator, is an innocent captured and enslaved by pirates, who gradually adjusts to the fearful delights of plunder and rape, and becomes a respected healer. Villains and heroes are pretty much indistinguishable here, and the novel's noisy forced raffishness is further coarsened by ludicrously explicit details of murder, torture, and other even more visceral pleasures. GarcÁa MÊrquez's laurels remain undisturbed.

Pub Date: May 1, 1997

ISBN: 0802137865

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Grove

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1997

Categories: FICTION