SANTURA

A short novel that explores gods and saints in the Caribbean during the time of slavery.

At the center of this book by Diaz (Triada de abril, 2006), is Matildo, a priest who prefers rum and collecting to prayer and salvation. With the help of a privateer, Matildo is able to collect things from around the world, including blue pearls, an ancient Egyptian chess set and even a painting by Carvaggio. For Matildo, people and souls are not nearly as important as collectibles. In a niche in his church, he has statues of Catholic saints only, and the reader learns that these are not ordinary statues. With time, the statues come to life and, furthermore, they come to life as African gods. The Virgin of Charity is not only the Virgin of Charity but an African goddess—or she’s the Virgin of Charity with African characteristics. Or better yet, she’s the African goddess in the body of the Virgin. Or what? Even the saints don’t fully understand their identities. Saints or gods or both, when the statues come to life, they’re not happy with the island or their captor Matildo. A little army of saint-gods is funny, particularly with their leader the Virgin, who curses quite a bit more than the Virgin most are familiar with from the Bible. This is not an attack against Catholicism; it’s an observation on the mixed identity of many Caribbean people. Unfortunately, as the villain, Matildo is too simple for these complex creatures. Not only is he a drunk and a bad priest, but he’s a child molester, has yellow teeth and, despite being a priest, has never once in his life prayed. He’s like a comic-book villain whose destiny comes as no real surprise. Aside from this, the story is imaginative and jokes with the saints play well. A brief magical adventure that’s worth the time for readers interested in the complicated nature of Caribbean identity.