decent people
decent people is a crime novel written by Cuban screenwriter, journalist and author Leonardo Padura. The work was first published on August 1, 2022 in the Andanzas de la Mario Conde Series, published by Tusquets. Since then, it has received favourable reviews from critics and readers, with ratings of 4.4 and 4.13 stars.
This was seen in the reading communities of Amazon and Goodreads, respectively. Something within the novel has become an echo for survivors of Latin American dictatorships, especially when the protagonist emphasizes that he will not leave Cuba because, as Dulce María Loynaz once said: "He got there first and the communists are not going to be able to drive him out of his country"
Synopsis of decent people
The change that never comes
The story takes place in 2016, right in the context of the visit of the American president Barack Obama to Cuba, an event full of symbolism and hope for many citizens who saw in the opening a possible change. The choice of this moment is not accidental, since Padura takes advantage of the political situation to explore what society is like in his own country.
In particular, the situations faced by the middle and lower classes, as well as how they deal with the promises of transformation and the reality of stagnation. Against this historical backdrop, The novel is enriched by an atmosphere charged with tensions between the past and the future.Obama's arrival on the island is not only a matter of international politics, but also a reflection of hope.
The uncertain expectations that many Cubans have about their own country.
La Novelty It develops around Mario Conde, a retired detective who cannot detach himself from police work, and He is called back to solve a murderOn this occasion, the murder of an influential former official, known for his corruption and multiple connections, leads Conde into thorny terrain, especially due to the political and social implications that surround it.
The victim, who once played an important role in the government, She is murdered under mysterious circumstances, and his death opens the door to a world of secrets, betrayals and the struggle for power. In this sense, Decent People reflects a real problem within the news scene in Cuba and the rest of America, establishing itself as a powerful voice that speaks for the people.
A portrait of the real Cuba
Conde is more disenchanted than ever with the state of his country. Through his reflections, Padura offers a critical look at the social, political and economic situation in Cuba, especially at a time when the possibility of an opening seemed tangible. However, The novel moves away from any optimism, focusing more on the moral decay of a society trapped in immobility and corruption.
The title of the novel is not accidental: throughout the work, Padura reflects deeply on what it means to be a "decent person" in a society marked by corruption, disillusionment and moral compromises. Through its characters, it questions the concept of decency and how it can be shaped by the circumstances experienced by a decaying environment.
What does it mean to be a decent person?
Decency, within the novel's plot, is not only a matter of individual behavior, but also a matter of survival. The characters in the play, both corrupt and honest, navigate in an environment where morality is diluted. and ethical decisions are complicated by necessity and desperation, elements that are difficult to judge for the sake of reality.
Padura uses the detective genre to build an intrigue that keeps the reader trapped, but also to talk about the moral decadence of Cuban society. In his work, Crime and corruption are not exceptions, but symptoms of a deeper malaise affecting all levels of life in Cuba.
Author's narrative style
Leonardo Padura has a narrative style that stands out for his keen observation of Cuban reality and for his ability to create deep and complex characters. decent people, Mario Conde's voice remains a vehicle for social criticismThrough his cynicism, his melancholy and his black humor, Conde becomes a lucid observer of the problems that plague his country.
Padura's prose is rich in descriptions of Havana, a city that appears in the novel almost as another character. The architectural decline, social inequalities and daily struggle to survive amidst shortages are presented with a realism that reflects the daily life of Cubans, a city that, despite its potential, continues to live in misery.
About the Author
Leonardo de la Caridad Padura Fuentes was born on October 9, 1955, in Havana, Cuba. He studied Latin American Literature at the university in his hometown., beginning his career as a journalist in 1980. His first employer in this field was the media The Bearded Caiman, although he also used to write for the newspaper Rebel YouthLater, he created essays and scripts.
He wrote his first novel between 1983 and 1984. For the next six years, he devoted himself to developing long cultural and historical reports, which helped him hone a critical vision of his environment and the people who inhabit it. He later became famous thanks to his series Mario Conde, starring a character who "couldn't and wouldn't be a police officer," but ends up being the best in his field.
Other books by Leonardo Padura
Novels
- horse fever (2013)
Tetralogy of the Four Seasons: Mario Conde Series
- Perfect past (1991);
- Winds of Lent (1994);
- Masks (1997);
- Autumn Landscape (1998);
- Goodbye Hemingway (2001);
- the novel of my life (2002);
- the mist of yesterday (2005);
- The man who loved the dogs (2009);
- the tail of the serpent (2011);
- Heretics (2013);
- The transparency of time (2018);
- Like dust in the wind (2020);
- Go to Havana (2024)
Tales
- As the years go by (1989);
- The hunter (1991);
- The Alcalá Gate and other hunts (1998);
- The Yellow Submarine (1966 and 1991);
- Nine nights with Amada Luna (2006);
- Looking at the sun (2009);
- That was waiting to happen (2015)
Essays and reports
- With the sword and with the pen: comments on Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (1984);
- Columbus, Carpentier, the hand, the harp and the shadow (1987);
- The wonderful real, creation and reality (1989);
- Baseball stars. The soul on the field (1989);
- The longest journey (1994);
- A journey of half a century: Alejo Carpentier and the narrative of the marvelous real (1994);
- The faces of salsa, interviews (1997);
- Modernity, postmodernity and detective novels (2000);
- Culture and the Cuban Revolution (2002);
- José María Heredia: the homeland and life (2003);
- Between two centuries (2006);
- Memory and oblivion (2011);
- I would like to be Paul Auster (2015);
- Water everywhere (2019)
Scripts
- I am from son to salsa, documentary (1996);
- Malabana (2001);
- Seven days in Havana (2011);
- Return to Ithaca (2014);
- Four seasons in Havana (2016)