Elogio de la madastra (Spanish, Paperback)

Mario Vargas Llosa slowly introduces us to the subtle web of perversity surrounding the extraordinary harmony and happiness that unite Mrs. Lucrecia, the sensual step-mother, Mr. Rigoberto, the father, an imaginative lover to his wife, and Fonchito, the son, whose angelic presence and eager gaze seem capable of corrupting all things. Vargas Llosa manages to do this with the wisdom of a careful observer and the seductiveness of good story-telling. The multiple reflections about happiness, its dark motives, and the paradoxical putrid power of innocence can be found in each of the pages, sustaining an intense narrative that never sacrifices his rich poetic writing.