A year of favor
Subtitle: a novel
By: Julia MacDonnell.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: W. Morrow and Co.
Published: 1994
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 330
Subjects: Women journalists -- Fiction.; Bronx (New York, N.Y.) -- Fiction.
Description: At once, A Year of Favor will remind readers of Joan Didion's A Book of Common Prayer and of C.J. Koch's The Year of Living Dangerously. It is a timely first novel that will win a devoted readership for Julia MacDonnell. Her taut, sometimes brutal prose and her ability to cut to the heart of human nature establish her as an important new voice in fiction.

Elizabeth Guerrera has been working the South Bronx beat for New York's Herald-Sun for too long when she finally gets her "big break." As the new correspondent in the civil-war-torn Central American country of Bellavista, Lizzie finally has the chance to file the front-page stories she's always dreamed of writing.

Once in Libertad, the nation's capital, Lizzie quickly finds her loyalties divided. She is seduced by General Rivas Valdez, the minister of defense for the ruling junta and the U.S. State Department's choice to run the country. Rivas Valdez's searing sexuality is corrupted by his desire to inflict pain on those he touches. As Lizzie uncovers the layers of lies and deceit that veil the Bellavistan landscape, she will discover the extent of his cruelty.

At the same time, Lizzie is befriended by the debutante-turned-midwife Mary Healy. Mary tries to show Lizzie the true horrors of General Rivas's regime - the countless civilians killed at point-blank range and dumped into unmarked mass graves. But in Bellavista, the truth is elusive. It lies somewhere beyond the reach of daily journalism.

Lizzie's increasingly desperate efforts take her to the darkest heart of Bellavista, a lush and dangerous place where power grows from terror and deniability; a place of impacted hatred and institutionalized injustice. A Year of Favor is a rich, suspenseful tale full of seductive settings and compelling characters. The themes explored will leave an indelible impression on readers of this important first novel.