Growing up in a traditional Dominican home, I remember my grandmother telling me about the glory days of the Trujillo dictatorship. "Nobody stole", "the economy was strong", "people respected each other", she would tell me. On her dresser was a black and white photo of Trujillo in military garb sporting a mustache similar to that of Hitler's. Amidst the stories and photos, however, something felt wrong: my grandmother's idealized recollections and what I was taught about freedom and democracy were complete polar opposites; they both couldn't be right. Why would my grandmother idolize a dictator? Why would her brother proudly carry his draft card that initiated him into Trujillo's military? With this in mind, I decided to read Mario Vargas Llosa's, The Feast of the Goat.
The story is about a young female expatriate that returns to the Dominican Republic many years after the Trujillo dictatorship of the 1950’s. Having left the island in her teens, Urania returns in her forties and recalls what the island was like when "his Excellency" was in power. The bulk of her memories take place during the final days of the dictatorship and the rough transition to democracy. The novel reads like a Quentin Tarrantino movie as we see the planning of the assassination, the attempt itself, and the aftermath through the eyes of the conspirators: the Goat, and future Dominican President, Joaquin Balaguer.
Although the novel starts slow, it quickly picks up speed as the conspiracy begins to take shape, and then becomes hard to put down. Undoubtedly, the stars of this novel are Trujillo because of his cruel, despotic tendencies and Joaquin Balaguer, who with Machiavellian skill has to fill a power vacuum, facing both the threat of assassination by the old regime and invasion by the United States.
Expecting just a well-written novel, I was surprised with the rich history lesson I received. Not only did I learn a lot about the Dominican Republic, but I also learned about how people are conditioned by their political surroundings. Much like my grandmother and the Dominicans who lived under Trujillo, a people starving enough for dignity, democracy, and an end to government corruption will eventually begin to idealize an era of torture and brutal repression.
The story is about a young female expatriate that returns to the Dominican Republic many years after the Trujillo dictatorship of the 1950’s. Having left the island in her teens, Urania returns in her forties and recalls what the island was like when "his Excellency" was in power. The bulk of her memories take place during the final days of the dictatorship and the rough transition to democracy. The novel reads like a Quentin Tarrantino movie as we see the planning of the assassination, the attempt itself, and the aftermath through the eyes of the conspirators: the Goat, and future Dominican President, Joaquin Balaguer.
Although the novel starts slow, it quickly picks up speed as the conspiracy begins to take shape, and then becomes hard to put down. Undoubtedly, the stars of this novel are Trujillo because of his cruel, despotic tendencies and Joaquin Balaguer, who with Machiavellian skill has to fill a power vacuum, facing both the threat of assassination by the old regime and invasion by the United States.
Expecting just a well-written novel, I was surprised with the rich history lesson I received. Not only did I learn a lot about the Dominican Republic, but I also learned about how people are conditioned by their political surroundings. Much like my grandmother and the Dominicans who lived under Trujillo, a people starving enough for dignity, democracy, and an end to government corruption will eventually begin to idealize an era of torture and brutal repression.
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