River Grove Books
2015
The Tragedy of Fidel Castro is an entertaining jaunt into political and religious irreverence. Communism, capitalism and Catholicism all get a heart lashing as God intervenes, at the beck of Fàtima, in a war between Fidel Castro and JFK. In the meanwhile, the nature of politics, humanity and religion are also given for the reader to consider.
I’m sad to confess that I did not really get a lot of the humour in the book. I’m not sure if this is because the nature of humour I enjoy is just different to that present in this book; whether it’s a difference in Portuguese and Spanish humour as compared to humour in the Anglosphere. Or perhaps it’s just a few of the references I miss, with my relative ignorance of matters concerning post-Bay of Bigs relations between Cuba and the United States.
Nonetheless, the book was a jaunt, striking a good balance between cheekiness and sharp political commentary. Fans of Rushdie and similar authors will find a lot to enjoy here.
