Skip to main content

The Discreet Hero



The Discreet Hero is a 2013 book that was translated to English in 2015. The writer Mario Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010.

An Unconventional Hero


In The Discreet Hero, the protagonist Felício Yanaqué lives his life according to his father's last teaching “Do not let anyone step into you.” as a way to honor his memory. But life is tricky and Felício's principles will be put to the test.

An unconventional hero without the dramatic overtones of the movies but filled with honor, Felício is a real-life hero, one who no one will ever know about. Yet, they can proudly shape their own destiny with honesty. Our protagonist fights against the status quo, which he thinks is wrong, and never gives up, although the world around him keeps saying that this is the rule.

Two Stories, One Fate


But Felício is not the only hero in this book. Along with its pages, we can read two different storylines, unrelated at first, but in the end, they will share a fate.

The main conflicts arise inside the characters, most of them very introspective during the whole story.

A Conflict of Generations


In The Discreet Hero, we see a series of complicated family relationships in which the reader is confronted with the differences between two generations. One is a generation of hard workers who fought all their lives to have what they own now, and the other is their spoiled sons, who never had to fight for anything and who believe it's their right to have anything they want.

One Perspective of Love


The book focuses on loyalty and ethics (which the characters may or may not have), and the romance isn't centered on crazy young love but on the maturity of the years and the calm passion of difference.



If you enjoy Latin American or Spanish-language authors, you might also like Malinche by Laura Esquivel. It’s a powerful story rooted in history, culture, and identity.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Emily in Paris 3: The Good, the Bad, and the Unrealistic

  The third season of Emily in Paris got a lot of hate and love among the viewers. People can’t decide if it was the best season or the worst of all. And I understand why. We start the season with Emily’s life in perfect chaos, and she doesn’t seem to know what she wants. She never does… Is this good for the plot? Maybe. Is this annoying? Sometimes. So… why can’t we stop watching it? Are you feeling frustrated? Me too. She doesn’t know what she wants. She can’t make a decision, not in her love life, not in her job… And it is not because she wants it all. She is not mature enough to say no and own her decision and its consequences. Emily comes across as a spoiled little girl. The problem is that she is the main character, yet, Mindy starts to feel way more interesting than her. Also, any other character on the show is funnier than Emily, namely her co-workers, who apparently are very bad at their jobs and need her to save them with every single client… How did they keep the company...

Gender, Power, and Cigarettes: Why 'Mad Men' Still Resonates

  Mad Men is a masterpiece of television that blends sharp storytelling with striking period detail, offering a reflective glimpse into the 1960s.  The series follows Don Draper and the high-stakes world of Madison Avenue advertising, all while painting a vivid picture of the era's societal norms, especially the rampant sexism and rigid gender roles.  It's both mesmerizing and infuriating, particularly in its honest depiction of how women were treated. Strong Emotions The show’s brilliance lies in its ability to evoke strong emotions—its subtlety, exceptional writing, and rich characters draw you into a world that feels both foreign and disturbingly recent.  The meticulously crafted period aesthetics are complemented by historical undercurrents, from civil rights to cultural shifts, which remain integral yet never overshadow the deeply personal dramas of the characters. Wait For the Impact Mad Men doesn’t rely on flashy plot twists; instead, it uses nuanced storyte...

The Lying Life of Adults - Review

  The Lying Life of Adults shows us, once more, that the teenage years and growing up can be painful.  Giovanna is the main character of this story, and she is feeling all the fast changes adolescence demands in a deeply divided town. Before this situation, her body and her opinions and desires are changing fast. Perhaps, too fast. Parents aren’t perfect. It is usually in those teenage years that we realize our parents aren’t perfect. They are humans with all the flaws that that implies. Giovanna is no different. Her parents are not as she thought they were, and her perfect family isn’t perfect at all. Those adults, those references that she admires, hide things, lie, and do things that she considers wrong. They are like everybody else. They are not heroes. When we realize that our parents are not the superheroes we believed they were when we were very young children, it can hurt.   Why is it so important? Because when we realize they also can fail, with the destruc...