Books
The Scoundrel and the Optimist
A novel by Maceo Montoya
Bilingual Review/Press
ISBN: 978-1-931010-65-8 | 272 pp. | cloth | $28.00
ISBN: 978-1-931010-67-2 | 272 pp. | paper | $18.00
Nothing is easy when you are 13, and it’s especially challenging when everyone thinks you’re 8 because you are tiny; your father is an abusive, tyrannical lout; your siblings are determined to strike out on their own to escape constant drunken rages; and your mother is deeply depressed. In The Scoundrel and the Optimist we meet Edmund, a hapless but irrepressible redheaded teen whose magnificent strength of spirit makes him a giant among men. Despite roadblocks and bad advice, Edmund is determined to win the heart of Ingrid Genera and to become a great guitar player. But his most notable accomplishment is teaching his father, Filastro, the value of integrity and optimism. After a prolonged episode of debauchery, Filastro discovers just how horrifying abuse is. Edmund nurses him back to health and in the process teaches him that love is mightier than fists and is worth great sacrifice.
At once humorous and touching, The Scoundrel and the Optimist is a delightful read.
“Human and humorous from page one, this tale is full of riotous energy and unexpected universal truths. Dostoyevsky has crossed the border in the pen of Maceo Montoya.” Ernesto Quiñónez, author of Bodega Dreams
“The Scoundrel and the Optimist is one of the best first novels I’ve seen. The beautiful language carries you like wind through the story, from the beginning to the end, taking you through a landscape that is sad, hopeful, beautiful, and often ugly. Montoya writes with the authority of the Latin American novelists like García Marquez and Isabel Allende. He’s an incredible story teller, and I predict his work will find its way among the Chicano greats.” Daniel Chacón, author of and the shadows took him