re:mote voices

Title: The Mermaid And The Drunks
Author: Ben Richards
Publisher: Phoenix

Arrival. Departure. Beginning. Ending. One journey. One girl – Fresia Castillo – conceived in Chile, born in London – returning to Chile for only the second time in her life, after splitting up with her boyfriend and trying to decide what to do with her life. One boy – Joe MacMillan – a Scottish academic, a frequent visitor to Chile, the history of which is his speciality, returning to write his latest book.

Fresia and Joe are sat beside each other on a place, when they start to talk. On landing they go their separate ways, but destiny conspires to bring them back together again. which is when they really start to become friends, with the addition of a “will they won’t they” aspect on the romantic front. Though in that sense things are complicated when they prevent the mugging of Roberto Walker.

While in some ways The Mermaid And The Drunks revolves around the characters and their friendship, it is also, obviously, about Chile. Juxtaposing the contrasts of Fresia, an exile from Pinochet’s Chile, who despite being a Chilean is in some ways a stranger in her own land, with Joe, who despite actually being a foreigner is a regular visitor, an expert on the history and involved in the community through his support of a local football team. Through Joe the origins of Chile as a country and it’s struggles against the Spanish are fleshed out. While more recent and current events provide some of the book’s central material. Roberto’s nephew has disappeared, and after preventing his mugging the pair become involved to some degree with the search for the boy. While Joe isn’t working on his book he is playing football with a team in the poor part of town, against a backdrop of drugs and violence, which is in some ways reminiscent of the Brazilian film City Of God.

As the novel progresses the events of contemporary Chile infringe on the daily lives of the lead characters. Alternating between the two, and gradually linking the big picture together past their friendship. In some ways the novel ambles along, at times seeming as though it isn’t necessarily going anywhere. But even with that, Richard’s work comes across as being readable, such that as things come together it makes for a compelling work.