MY NAME IS PABLO

by Aimee Sommerfelt ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1965

Harsh reality relieved by hope is this author's trademark in outstanding novels of contemporary life set in India. The grandeur and the grime of Mexico are the background for Pablo's story. The shoeshine boy befriended by Frederik, a Scandianavian boy from a modest home, is subject to arrest for not having a license. Whatever money he accumulates comes under the supervision of his stern, hardworking father, who gambles that the boy will not be caught. Frederik and Pablo are a study in contrasts -- in looks, circumstances and middle class values versus the destructive demands of poverty. This is skillfully rendered in the novel, with sound socio/economic detail supplied in dialogue and description that does not pall. Pablo's arrest carries him to a Mexican reformatory and his eventual reclamation (his corruption is never total) is through the help of Frederik's parents. The fact that this help is offered with a respect for Pablo's pride and that of his decent, numerous relatives, is a very good point beside the major one made -- that Pablo's struggle is the condition not of the minority but of the majority of people in the world today.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1965

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Criterion

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1965

Categories: FICTION