JUSTIN THE TRAVELLER

An Australian tourist meets an unexpected fate in a war-torn Central American country in this novel.

Justin Thorntree, a 52-year-old auto parts store owner from Sydney, has decided to spend six weeks traveling in Central America after splitting up with his wife. It is 1990, and he still looks better than Paul Newman, he’s got some money, and he wants to explore. On the bus to Las Mesas, a small resort town, he encounters Gretchen and Monica, two young European women whom he begins to tag along with. The unnamed country is in the final stages of a civil war. At a restaurant in Las Mesas, two local academics describe the volatile social and political situation, which involves guerrillas fighting with the ruling oligarchy. Even so, the scene in Las Mesas is enjoyable, but Justin must head to the capital to replace a missing passport. He is dismayed to learn his ex-wife is suing him for $2 million and drowns his misery in a gloomy cafe. There, a shady character and a devious waitress pull a scam that leaves Justin horribly injured and lying in a ditch. Penniless and with limited mobility, Justin becomes a resident of the Hotel of the Four Winds, an outdoor area for the homeless. An injured ex-guerrilla named Indito takes Justin under his wing, and he becomes one of the war refugees, the invisible people whom no one asks any questions: “It was one of the few dignities afforded those who were dying on the street.” Taken with a woman named Silvia, Justin seems to regard his stay in the country as indefinite, though it becomes painfully clear the war isn’t entirely over. Mascia’s (Sawdust Footprints, 2014) stark prose works very well in describing the delights and the absurdities of traveling in the developing world while deftly constructing a tale wherein the main character is practically swallowed whole by society. Devoid of sentimentality, the harrowing story is effective without being overtly emotional and brings up relevant questions about human dignity and morality regarding the homeless, Latin America, and the “beloved imperialistic benefactor to the north.” As Everyman Justin slowly moves toward recovery, the fictional nation vividly portrayed here is reeling until the book’s conclusion.

A compelling and frightening travel tale about resilience amid the crimes of war.