Cristina Garcia's The Lady Matador's Hotel
In The Lady Matador’s Hotel the political situation in the country are a spine for a braided novel. Half the stories, the Colonel’s, the ex-Guerrilla, and the Lawyer are directly related. the Guerrilla assassinates the Colonel who is running for President. The Lawyer’s business of selling babies is a issue in the politics. The Poet, an ex-patriot Cuban, is involved with the Lawyer. The Maquiladora owner is also an issue in the politics. Everyone, but Suki Palacios, the Matadora, is pulled and twisted by the politics. Suki moves through the story oblivious to it.
It is the way that this story is told with characters whose path's cross but do not come together, that makes this story for me. I also enjoyed the subtle use of magical realism. It is a treat.
