El Penco

By Ann McGlinn

Mateo Xavier Manuel Rodriguez Aguerra-Veracruz, known to everyone as Penco (slang for "orphan") is an artist from northern New Mexico. Twelve years ago, Penco hitchhiked to Ciudad Ju?rez, Mexico, to start a new life. Single-minded about his painting and haunted by memories of the lost world of his childhood, he has become a recluse. When Penco starts to work as a bus driver, the chaotic streets and characters of Ju?rez begin to reconnect him with the world. He spends time with friends from El Caf? Misi?n, a local bar frequented by the elusive Gabriella, a fellow artist; Penco's best friend Frederico, the head chef at the only four-star restaurant in the city; Twain de Vaca, a American film studies student who irritates Penco with his admiration; and a German tightrope walker, Heinrich Damrosch. Ultimately, Penco's friends, the bus passengers, and encounters with three strangers allow him to confront the haunting images and fears from his childhood, a necessary step if he is ever to return home. Ann McGlinn lived and worked in Ju?rez in the 1990s, before the city became most known as a place of violence. With a poet's economy of style, she has captured the gritty essence of the city and its vibrant communities in those years.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 099112152X
• ISBN13: 9780991121526
• Release Date: February 2014
• Publisher: Cuidono Press
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.3" x 8.0"