In Memory of Gods and Heroes [Paperback]

Esteban Martinez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 2002

Santiago wants to kill Tony because Tony beats and otherwise abuses Robin and her children. Despite Santiago's murderous intent, the steps he takes toward killing Tony-drinking excessive amounts of alcohol for courage, buying a .45 Smith and Wesson, practicing marksmanship at a shooting range, confessing his murder plan to important persons in his life-amount to nothing more than hesitation and avoidance. This buys Santiago time during which-through the process of remembering childhood acts of heroism performed by himself and those he loves-he comes to accept the fact that, regardless of our child-like wishes, pure and profane life realities coexist, that sometimes we don't know the difference between the two and that we must remember the unique realities of our lives, beautiful and ugly, because from these we derive meaning and strength.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Esteban A. Martinez lives in the United States where he teaches and practices law.

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (September 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595240097
• ISBN-13: 978-0595240098
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,101,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books I've Read This Year, October 27, 2002

By 

"seesthesky" (colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Memory of Gods and Heroes (Paperback)

This book blew me away.

Martinez doesn't slowly and deliberately construct a logic-driven storyline for us. Instead, he immediately hooks our interest by snaring our sympathy for starving Somalian children, half a world away.

Santiago, a Latino writing instructor, and his adult cousin Adam are looking at photographs of emaciated Somalian children and talking of God, responsibility, and apathetic child abuse. And then, with the jarring ring of a telephone, Martinez cold cocks us with a devastatingly sudden and searing revelation of child abuse within Santiago's own family: Santiago's brother-in-law, Tony, has struck his six-year-old child, Chantel, with a hot frying pan, and, we learn later, Tony has also cudgeled his wife, Robin, yet another time.

This double-sided image of international and home-front child and spouse abuse triggers such anger within Santiago that he begins planning his revenge against his brother-in-law. This novel, however, is no mere narrative of vengeance. Instead, it's a carefully woven tale of love and offering, with an ending that will surprise every reader with its explosive finality, and yet, from the beginning, Martinez skillfully and quietly prepares us for a revelation that redefines suspense and intensity.

I can't imagine this novel being told with more power or surprise. It's valuable for readers to happen upon a book that grips them tightly, one in which they anticipate the ending-and then, without warning, they are stunned in utter disbelief until they think back and realize that in this novel, Martinez thoroughly prepares us for what happens.

As a reviewer, I would like to further explicate the ending to which Martinez so skillfully drives. That, however, might undermine the experience for readers so I will say only this - in his finish, Martinez creates a moment of rare and raw emotional power in fiction, one that will render readers numb.