Rage

Starred review from November 2, 2009
This surprisingly moving novel shows that in the hands of the right author almost any setup can be invested with depth and emotion. Construction worker José María Negro falls for Rosa Verga, a housemaid for an affluent Buenos Aires family, whom he meets at a grocery. Their relationship blossoms, despite Negro's struggles to control his explosive temper. His anger gets the best of him, unfortunately, and he bludgeons his foreman to death. Negro comes up with the idea of squatting on the upper floor of the villa where his lover works, and lives vicariously through his observations of Verga and her employer's family. Remarkably, Bizzio manages to make the creepy voyeur sympathetic, despite his murderous nature and his growing detachment from reality. The powerful prose and characters make a strong case for English translations of the Argentinian author's six other novels. The forthcoming film adaptation by Guillermo del Toro should boost sales.

October 15, 2009
Jose Maria, a lonely laborer with an explosive temper, lives only to see his beloved Rosa, a live-in maid working in a large villa. When the owners unexpectedly return, Jose Maria hides in the house and finds his new accommodations unexpectedly comfortable. Cutting all ties to the outside world, he dedicates his time to spying on the family, including visiting children and grandchildren, and seeing to his daily needs. As the months pass, Jose Maria becomes more involved in the familys lives and in the life of his beloved Rosa, even though she does not know that he lives in the villa. This fast-paced and entrancing psychological thriller, set in contemporary Buenos Aires, is soon to be made into a film noir by Guillermo del Toro. Expect considerable attention when the film opens.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)