cover image Los Amigos Que Perdi

Los Amigos Que Perdi

Jaime Bayly. Santillana USA Publishing Company, $14.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-9972-847-01-1

Peruvian novelist and TV personality Bayly earned his reputation as a risqu writer with the gay protagonist in his first book, No se lo digas a nadie (Don't Tell Anyone, Seix Barral, 1994). In this, his sixth novel, he is back with Manuel, a bisexual narrator who writes long, convoluted letters to old friends and lovers. The novel is an epistolary work with characters who are created and developed within the letters. Readers are treated to Manuel's intimate, first-hand accounts of love, sex, drugs, deceit, professional development, and despair in stories that take place all over the world including Lima, Austin, Miami, Madrid, Washington, and other locations. Bayly vividly brings Manuel and his friends and lovers to life via his protagonist's rants and recollections. The writing is fast, fun, and melodramatic, and the letters format evokes the feeling of spying into a man's private life. Recommended for libraries with Spanish-language literature collections serving a wide range of communities and for collections focusing on sexual identity. Also recommended for large bookstores with active fiction sections. Tatiana de la Tierra, SUNY at Buffalo Lib.