Los esclavos

August 1, 2009
Los esclavos. (The Slaves) Chimal, Alberto. Mexico: Almadia. 2009. 149p. ISBN 978-607-411-011-1. pap. $14.95. STORIES Recognized Mexican writer Chimal received the Juan Luis Potosi National Award for short stories in 2002 and the award Cuento Benemerito de America several years prior. In this latest compilation, Chimal uses two different stories to describe the horrors that sex slaves experience. Living in contemporary Mexico, his characters are hidden away, removed from civilization. Yuyis is an underage girl, a sex slave for a cheap pornography production house. Her owner, Marlene, constantly abuses her physically, mentally, and sexually. Yuyis has never been outside the walls of the house where she has grown up, tied to iron bars. She is kept mostly naked, and the few items of clothing she possesses are all sex costumes. When one of the many policemen she is forced to sleep with (as payment for his silence) grows attached to Yuyis, her fate changes. Conversely, Mundo is the sex slave of a rich, older man, Golo, who makes him his pet dog. Mundo, a thirtysomething married man with children, switches roles from dog to human at Golo's command; he is also the victim of Golo's physical, mental, and sexual abuses. Mundo's destiny changes when he is eventually granted his freedom. Chimal's description of the scenery, smells, and feelings his characters experience are accurate and essential yet so effective that the reader is truly disturbed. Even his language is precise, employing swear words or refined vocabulary to better depict each character's world. Recommended for libraries with large literary collections or serving mature readers.-Ana Katherine Bonfante, Berwyn, IL

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 9, 2009
Recognized Mexican writer Chimal received the Juan Luis Potosi National Award for short stories in 2002 and the award Cuento Benemerito de America several years prior. In this latest compilation, Chimal uses two different stories to describe the horrors that sex slaves experience. Living in contemporary Mexico, his characters are hidden away, removed from civilization. Yuyis is an underage girl, a sex slave for a cheap pornography production house. Her owner, Marlene, constantly abuses her physically, mentally, and sexually. Yuyis has never been outside the walls of the house where she has grown up, tied to iron bars. She is kept mostly naked, and the few items of clothing she possesses are all sex costumes. When one of the many policemen she is forced to sleep with (as payment for his silence) grows attached to Yuyis, her fate changes. Conversely, Mundo is the sex slave of a rich, older man, Golo, who makes him his pet dog. Mundo, a thirtysomething married man with children, switches roles from dog to human at Golo's command; he is also the victim of Golo's physical, mental, and sexual abuses. Mundo's destiny changes when he is eventually granted his freedom. Chimal's description of the scenery, smells, and feelings his characters experience are accurate and essential yet so effective that the reader is truly disturbed. Even his language is precise, employing swear words or refined vocabulary to better depict each character's world. Recommended for libraries with large literary collections or serving mature readers.-Ana Katherine Bonfante, Berwyn, IL

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.