Synopses & Reviews
Pacazo is the story of John Segovia, an American historian in Piura, on the desert coast of Peru, where the real and the surreal intermix. Then his life and the city were destroyed. John's wife was murdered, and his search for the killer takes place amidst the storms of El Niño.
Review
"(A) shaggy-dog tale that eventuallyboldlyinvites comparison to its great progenitor,
Don Quixote. By and large (
Pacazo) earns its claim to the old knight's inheritance. (A) fresh and powerful reminder of what fiction can accomplish at full length."—
John Domini,
Bookforum"We think that Kesey, already so respected for his short stories, is going to be known as a major novelist following the publication of this work."—Stephen Elliott, The Rumpus
Chosen as the January selection for The Rumpus Book Club
Chosen as the February selection for Newtonville Books First Edition Club
Review
"Is the sheer bulk of a book worth celebration? Roy Kesey has never gone beyond novella-length before, but his novel, Pacazo, runs more than five hundred pages, bulging with detail and incident, with everything from midnight snacks to invasive insects. It's a shaggy-dog tale, one that eventually -- boldly -- invites comparison to its great progenitor, Don Quixote. In cutting a classic wide swath, Pacazo exposes itself to risk, a tricky balance between hilarity and horror. By and large, though, this rangy novel earns its claim to the old knight's inheritance."
John Domini, bookforum.com (Read the entire )
Synopsis
At its heart, Pacazo explores our pressing human need to see episodes in our lives as stories that deserve telling.
About the Author
Roy Kesey: Roy Kesey is the author of
Nothing in the World, winner of the 2005 Bullfight Review Little Book Prize, and Dzanc's original publishing,
All Over, a well-received collection of short stories. His work has appeared in McSweeneys, The Kenyon Review and American Short Fiction, among other magazines, as well as in New Sudden Fiction 2006 and the Robert Olen Butler Prize Anthology. He currently lives in Peru with his wife and children.