Life in the Damn Tropics (Library of Modern Jewish Literature)
by David Unger
Category: Fiction

Set in strife-torn Guatemala City in the early 1980s, this sophisticated, quasicomedic tale depicts the decline and near-fall of a prominent Guatemalan Jewish family. First, the Eltaleph family is accused of setting up a dummy corporation in Panama in order to avoid paying Guatemalan taxes. Hence middle-aged Marcos Eltaleph, a playboy whose lust for life is matched only by his lust for women, has been placed under "hospital arrest." As older brother Aaron tries to obtain his release, Marcos ponders his scapegoat role in the family and the machinations of his new girlfriend, a fiery Colombian former prostitute who, in this hour of need, Marcos believes has taken up with his former business partner. Then, in the face of military rule, terrorism, and sabotage, Marcos learns the truth about his brother, only to find that sibling secrets can be every bit as dangerous as civil unrest.