First Confession [Paperback]

Montserrat Fontes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 1992

Mexican-American writer Fontes tells a startling tale of the clashes between men and women, rich and poor, Mexican and American in this dark story of life just south of the Texas border.

Two spoiled children, the willful Andrea and her cousin Victor, take up spying and stealing when they discover where the town hooker hides her money. Their theft tragically unleashes a series of events, among them murder and suicide.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two privileged nine-year-olds, headstrong Andrea Durcal and her gentle cousin Victor, become dangerously entangled in events beyond their grasp in a Mexican border town in 1947. The lives of the Durcals are altered by a disastrous chain of events: Alicia, one of their maids, is murdered in her bed; shortly afterward, Andrea's charming, reckless father accidentally kills a night watchman while driving too fast. Having "absolute license to do as we pleased" and craving adult supervision (they try "to do 50 bad things before lunch"), the children spy on a prostitute and steal her money to buy toys for scruffy urchins living by the river, who give them a beating instead of thanks. Andrea unleashes even more misfortune when she tries to use the stolen cash to rectify her father's wrongdoing. Laden with guilt, the children approach their first confession and communion--he in his miniature cardinal's robes and she in a dress of bridal purity--as the tale reaches its climax. This ambitious, awkward first novel is marred by stylistical banality.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This first novel offers a poignant and fascinating child's-eye view of the world. The nine-year-old protagonists, Andrea and Victor, live in affluence in a Mexican border town. Knowing that their souls will be cleansed when they make their first communion at the end of the summer, they see June, July, and August as their last chance to be "bad." As they test limits and strive to cross the line into maturity, the pair confront an adult world they do not understand. Fontes effectively weaves bi-cultural antagonisms into the fabric of her captivating story, which portrays the magic, passion, and innocence of childhood with wry humor and rich prose. Highly recommended for adult and advanced young adult readers.
- Johanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Connecticut at Torrington Lib.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (April 17, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393308472
• ISBN-13: 978-0393308471
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #449,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The secret lives of children revealed on the Tex-Mex border., May 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: First Confession (Paperback)

Fontes writes a novel about eight year old Andrea Durcal who learns the secret world of adults by living her own secret world. With her soulmate Victor, they explore the hell-like reality of the Rio Grande and discover how one step on the wrong path leads to unforseeable consequences.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fontes has created a compelling page turner., November 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: First Confession (Paperback)

Readers will have a tough time putting this one down at the end of the night. Each chapter begs to be read and explored. This author has created a gripping story with depth and charged emotions. Andrea and Victor still linger in my mind. Read this book. It is incredible! I came upon it by chance so take one and pick this up.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars inspirational, May 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: First Confession (Paperback)

This was one of the most surprising stories I have ever read. Most fiction stories based on non-fictional lives are quite trite and unmoving. This captures it all. Society, the gender gap, the ever changing world, new and old conflicts, and religious strugle. I fully recomend this novel.