Drought
A Novel
Published on 14. July 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-78168-897-7 (ISBN)
Description
"He turned his back on the old man to mourn in silence this unnecessary death and his part in it; but the sight of the coffin brought anger instead ..."
In 1957, a burned-out British journalist leaves London to recuperate in the idyllic Andalusian village of Benalamar, a place little changed since the tumult of Spain's civil war. But when a foreign businessman arrives with plans to develop the area, the community is thrown into turmoil.
During a time of drought, the promise of a reservoir is meant to allay the fears of the local populace, but the developer has little idea what he is playing with. A local farmer commits suicide, and the investigation that follows leads back into recent history, lost love and civil war - all a far cry from the tranquil retreat that once promised respite from a world of lurid headlines and backroom shenanigans.
Drought is a keenly felt novel about memory, love and the clash between the old world and the new.
In 1957, a burned-out British journalist leaves London to recuperate in the idyllic Andalusian village of Benalamar, a place little changed since the tumult of Spain's civil war. But when a foreign businessman arrives with plans to develop the area, the community is thrown into turmoil.
During a time of drought, the promise of a reservoir is meant to allay the fears of the local populace, but the developer has little idea what he is playing with. A local farmer commits suicide, and the investigation that follows leads back into recent history, lost love and civil war - all a far cry from the tranquil retreat that once promised respite from a world of lurid headlines and backroom shenanigans.
Drought is a keenly felt novel about memory, love and the clash between the old world and the new.
Reviews / Votes
[A] compelling story . very, very good-as in Graham Greene good. * Los Angeles Times * One of the most respected, gifted and prolific British historians of Spain * Guardian * An English oral historian known for his deftness at collecting and presenting ordinary people's experiences during momentous events like the Spanish Civil War. * New York Times *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
272 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78168-897-7 (9781781688977)
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Person
RONALD FRASER (1930-2012) was the leading oral historian of twentieth-century Spain. He is the author of several books, including Napoleon's Cursed War, Blood of Spain and Tajos: The Story of a Village on the Costa del Sol.