The Jaguar's Children

Zusatztext "I have long admired the visceral storytelling and moral complexity of John Vaillant's brilliant non-fiction about humankind's tragically ambivalent relationship with the natural world. Now he brings his abundant literary gifts to a debut novel set in a very real borderland in which human beings are themselves treated like animals. The Jaguar's Children is a beautifully rendered lament for an imperiled culture and the brave lives that would preserve it. You should read it." John Burnham Schwartz, author of Reservation Road and The Commoner " The Jaguar's Children is devastating. It's at once a literary mystery, an engrossing tour de force, and a brilliant commentary on humanity's role in the physical world. The voice that echoes out from that abandoned place Vaillant so masterfully creates won't leave me." Joseph Boyden, author of Three Day Road and The Orenda "John Vaillant is in the business of writing masterpieces. But this first novel will make his many followers fall over in shock. Vaillant sees the tragedy of human predation on the border for what it isa real-world horror worthy of Stephen King. This book rushes at you relentless as a nightmare and doesn't let up until it kicks out the walls. Settle in. You're going to need a stiff drink. Make it ice water." Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The Devil's Highway , Into the Beautiful North and The Hummingbird's Daughter "John Vaillant's revelatory nonfiction is catalyzed by eloquent prose and exuberant curiosity. In his first novel, The Jaguar's Children , Vaillant proves that his heart and imagination are as expansive and fierce as his radiant intellect. With a desperate young immigrant as our companion, we enter the dangerous borderlands between countries and generations; myth and magic; human community and the vast, infinitely mysterious, wild environment. Perilously close to death, we navigate the hallucinatory map of the mind where those who endure still hope to discover one thin thread of light leading from terror to survival. Never have I encountered a writer with more energy or compassion." Melanie Rae Thon, author of Sweet Hearts , The Voice of the River , and Girls in the Grass Informationen zum Autor JOHN VAILLANT's work has appeared in The New Yorker, the Atlantic, National Geographic, Outside, and elsewhere. His two previous, award-winning books, The Tiger and The Golden Spruce, were international bestsellers. Klappentext An unforgettable, page-turning survival story recounted by Hector, a man trapped--perhaps fatally--inside a tanker truck during an illegal border crossing. Both an outstanding suspense novel and an arresting window into the relationship between two great cultures, The Jaguar's Children shows how deeply interconnected all of us, always, are. Leseprobe 1 Thu Apr 508:31 [text] Hello I'm sorry to bother you but I need your assistanceI am HectorCesar's friendIt's an emergency now for CesarAre you in el norte? I think we are alsoArizona near Nogales or SonoitaSince yesterday we are in this truck with no one comingWe need water and a doctorAnd a torch for cutting metal Thur Apr 508:48 [text] Please text me AnniMacWe need help Thu Apr 508:59 [text] Are you there AnniMac? It's HectorPlease text me Thu Apr 509:52 [text] There was a storm1 bar only nowARE YOU THERE??? Thu Apr 510:09 [text] 1 barSomething's brokenMaybe from the lightningThe helicopter came again but doesn't stopHow do they not see us? Nothing going now Thu Apr 510:26 [soundfile] Hello? I hope this works. Still one bar only, so I'm recording now and when the signal comes back I will send it in a file with all the details and the ...

Autorentext
JOHN VAILLANT's work has appeared in The New Yorker, the Atlantic, National Geographic, and Outside, among other magazines. His two previous, award-winning books, The Tiger and The Golden Spruce, were international bestsellers.

Klappentext

"Extraordinary ... The horrors of a single passage over the border blossom into a human history of sorrow and suffering, all of it beginning with the thirst to be free." -- NPR "[A] heartbreaker ... Wrenching ... with a voice fresh and plangent enough to disarm resistance." -- Boston Globe "Fearless." -- Globe and Mail Hector is trapped. The water truck, sealed to hide its human cargo, has broken down. The coyotes have taken all the passengers' money for a mechanic and have not returned. Hector finds a name in his friend Cesar's phone: Annimac. A name with an American number. He must reach her, both for rescue and to pass along the message Cesar has come so far to deliver. But are his messages going through? Over four days, as water and food run low, Hector tells how he came to this desperate place. His story takes us from Oaxaca -- its rich culture, its rapid change -- to the dangers of the border, exposing the tangled ties between Mexico and El Norte. And it reminds us of the power of storytelling and the power of hope, as Hector fights to ensure his message makes it out of the truck and into the world. Both an outstanding suspense novel and an arresting window into the relationship between two great cultures, The Jaguar's Children shows how deeply interconnected all of us, always, are. "This is what novels can do -- illuminate shadowed lives, enable us to contemplate our own depths of kindness, challenge our beliefs about fate." -- Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times Book Review

Zusammenfassung

“Extraordinary … The horrors of a single passage over the border blossom into a human history of sorrow and suffering, all of it beginning with the thirst to be free.” — NPR

“[A] heartbreaker … Wrenching … with a voice fresh and plangent enough to disarm resistance.” — Boston Globe

“Fearless.” — *Globe and Mail*

Hector is trapped. The water truck, sealed to hide its human cargo, has broken down. The coyotes have taken all the passengers’ money for a mechanic and have not returned.

Hector finds a name in his friend Cesar’s phone: Annimac. A name with an American number. He must reach her, both for rescue and to pass along the message Cesar has come so far to deliver. But are his messages going through?

Over four days, as water and food run low, Hector tells how he came to this desperate place. His story takes us from Oaxaca — its rich culture, its rapid change — to the dangers of the border, exposing the tangled ties between Mexico and El Norte. And it reminds us of the power of storytelling and the power of hope, as Hector fights to ensure his message makes it out of the truck and into the world.

Both an outstanding suspense novel and an arresting window into the relationship between two great cultures, The Jaguar’s Children shows how deeply interconnected all of us, always, are.

“This is what novels can do — illuminate shadowed lives, enable us to contemplate our own depths of kindness, challenge our beliefs about fate.” — Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times Book Review

Leseprobe
1

Thu Apr 5—08:31 [text]
Hello I’m sorry to bother you but I need your assistance—I am Hector—Cesar’s friend—It’s an emergency now for Cesar—Are you in el norte? I think we are also—Arizona near Nogales or Sonoita—Since yesterday we are in this truck with no one coming—We need water and a doctor—And a torch for cutting metal

Thur Apr 5—08:48 [text]
Please text me AnniMac—We need help

Thu Apr 5—08:59 [text]
Are you there AnniMac? It’s Hector—Please text me

Thu Apr 5—09:52 [text]
There was a storm—1 bar only now—ARE YOU THERE???

Thu Apr 5—10:09 [text]
1 bar—Something’s broken—Maybe from the lightning—The hel…