Reading the Knots: A Novel

by Susan Garzon

Overview

In 1954, as civil war looms over Guatemala, a startling discovery at an archaeological dig triggers a series of events that threaten the lives and well-being of three women.Meg Fuente, the archaeologist's American wife, is drawn to the camaraderie and idealism of a left-wing political group, but she recognizes that she might be putting herself in danger if the progressive government falls. Patricia, the headstrong daughter of a wealthy coffee planter, is determined to excavate at the Fuentes' dig, but she must keep her labors hidden from her violent, right-wing father. And Noemi, a girl from a poor indigenous town, is able to stave off hunger thanks to her brother's salary as foreman at the dig—but some of the town Elders see the excavations as an insult to their ancestors, a mysterious group who once lived in the valley where the dig is situated.In a political atmosphere suffused with hatred and fear, a major archaeological find sets forces in motion that lead to shattering losses for the women. To survive, they must forge ties among family and friends and draw strength from centuries-old traditions.A dramatic, finely-woven tale filled with riveting historical detail, Reading the Knots is set at a pivotal time in Latin American history, when the democratic government of Jacobo Arbenz came to a violent and tragic end.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781543994834
Publisher:	BookBaby
Publication date:	02/28/2020
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Susan Garzon is a retired anthropologist and teacher of English as a foreign language. She lived for eight years in Latin America, where she taught English and carried out anthropological field work. In 1973, she witnessed a coup d'état in Chile, which bore many similarities to the earlier 1954 coup in Guatemala. During her two years of field work in Guatemala, she spent much of her time in a Mayan town. Following a university career, she lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three cats.

Editorial Reviews

2020-05-18
A group of people from different walks of life attempt to conduct an archeological dig during a period of civil unrest in Garzon’s debut literary novel.

Guatemala, 1954. Outside the highland town of Chayaka, Portuguese archeologist Pablo Fuente excavates the Valley of Los Ancianos. The Chayakans are not thrilled with the idea of this foreigner disturbing the home of their ancestors, but at least it has meant jobs for some of the impoverished villagers. As the discoveries become more promising, Pablo increasingly shuts out his American wife, Meg, from the dig. She, in turn, fills her time with the left-wing group known by the acronym PROC—a political organization that supports the rights of the workers and peasants who make up the country’s vast underclass—and with one of its leaders, Sergio. Eighteen-year-old Patricia Baldt Contreras is a local aspiring archeologist who desperately wants to help excavate the site. She must hide her plans from her father, a reactionary coffee farmer who is afraid that the progressive government will give away his land to the poor. When the diggers unearth human bones at the site, controversy threatens to end Pablo’s search. As they all soon discover, however, history is not dead in the ground: It is erupting around them. Garzon’s deliberative prose paints the characters with precision and complexity: “[Meg] photographed, sketched, and cataloged artifacts, and her intuitions were sound. She had assured Patricia that she, Pablo, and the workers all contributed equally to the success of the dig, but the girl had clearly figured out how marginalized Meg was. An appendage.” The novel does an excellent job rooting its characters and events within the context of Guatemala before an American-backed coup, and it features some fun historical fiction flourishes. (Ernesto “Che” Guevara is a supporting character.) The plot develops slowly, but the writing keeps the reader engaged. It is an immersive story not only of the tension between cultures, but of the roles that women often find themselves trapped in, and the risks they take in order to escape them.

An engaging novel that digs deep into mid-20th-century Guatemala.

Kirkus Reviews