The
Discreet Hero
is a book from 2013, translated to English in 2015. The writer, Mario
Vargas Llosa won the Nobel prize for literature in 2010.
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, those who no one
will never 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.
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.
In
The Discreet Hero, we see a series of complicated family
relationships where the reader is confronted with the differences
between two generations. One, a generation of hard workers, who
fought all life to have what they own now and the other, their
spoiled sons who never had to fight for anything and who believe it's
their right to have anything they want.
The focus
of the book is on loyalty and ethics (which the characters may or may
not have) and the romance isn't centered in crazy young love, but
in the maturity of the years and in the calm passion of difference.
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