I WORLD LITERATURE IN REVIEW ^^^^H^^^HI^HHI I Perhaps it's because formative expe riences, no matter what strange forms theymay appear in,mostly ring true. Esterh?zy also seems to be suggesting that you can't really plumb the depths of early attach ments and early traumas?there is always more there. He examines his relationship with parents, relatives, soccer players, and coaches from every possible angle. The intricate text can be excessively self-referen tialand private, oftenannoyingly so, but it is redeemed each timeby the author's sharp but forgiving sense of humor. A word about the translation. JudithSollosy, who translatedmost of Esterh?zy's works, has in fact become his English voice. And what a hip and exuberant voice it is, a decidedly American voice, richly colloquial, partial to earthy idioms. Sollosy does take chances, some times producing literal translations of colorfulHungarian idioms. Some of these verbal oddities miss the mark, but they are amusing anyway. Not Art is of course all art. But the largesse and empathy of a great writer shine through every page. Ivan Sanders Columbia University Rosario Ferr?. Lazos de sangre. Dorai, Florida. Alfaguara / Santillana USA. 2009. 368 pages. $19.99. isbn 978-1 60396-944-4 Lazos de sangre (Blood ties) is renowned Puerto Rican writer Rosario Ferr?'s newest novel. The story is divided into two parts? "Lazos de sangre" (Blood ties) and "Lazos de hierro" (Iron ties)?with six different stories of upper-class Puerto Rican women connected by DNA, culture, and politics. Ferr? (b. 1938) re-creates important life episodes of narrator Rose Mon roig's strong Arizmendi female cousins. Rose is writing a novel in English?Blood Bonds?while work ing as a journalist, professor, and literary critic. For readers familiar with the author's creative career, it is impossible to escape the autobio graphical reference toHouse on the Lagoon, a finalist for theNational Book Award in 1995. The geography is central to the development of the individual and collective stories. Ponce, Mayag?ez, S-..0 Rosario Ferrd Lazos de sangre 4' 4 y, _,Z:q, V 'o" 581World Literature Today San Juan, and New York are the physical spaces thatdefine the inter actions and evolution of theAriz mendis, past owners of land and a sugar mill inMayag?ez. The luxu rious hotels, swimming pools, ten nis courts, and exclusive clubs in San Juan are reserved for singular occasions: a girl's social debut and weddings. If a cousin's childhood and early adolescence took place in la isla?not the capital?their distinguished status was to be defended in the front lines at any cost. As the novel progresses, some of the main characters immigrate to New York, and a love story never meant to be between Puerto Rico and theUnited States evolves. As Rose affirms,"Nostalgia is a Puerto Rican's Achilles tendon." Sexuality figures prominently in the stories. Sexual discovery?pleasure, rape, virginity, machismo, and infidel ity?delineate these women's psy chologies and relationships with the "other sex." From the tradi tional conservative perspectives of the past?with Catholicism only as a cultural must?to a more dar ing feminine attitude in the pres ent, Ferr? explores the intricacies of being a Puerto Rican woman or, as she prefers to refer to her country, a woman from the island. Rosario Ferr?'s Lazos de sangre is an intrepid endeavor to give a voice to past and present Puerto Rican women who grew up with privileges, like herself. Tattooed in a last name with all its cultural, political, and psychological impli cations, this novel is aggressive and, at times, overwhelming. The chronology can be confusing and themany topics addressed both a blessing and a curse. Rosa JuliaBird University ofCentral Oklahoma Khoury. White HH ^^^H^^^B^^^| New York. Archipelago. HH ^^^H^^^H^^^H H^^^^^l pages. $22. isbn 978-0-9819873-2-3|H |tlf|fF^|W)fAIJ| H^^^H Whiteness?or the absence of HH AtJ7uJ?3sf oJLJLV^J,^. Bh^^^H color?is one of Lebanese author HH mmmmmoh ^^^^^^^H Elias Khoury'scentralobsessions. B^o HHHIHBHBHHHi ^^^^^^^H Khoury, arguably the IHI ^^^HHHfH^^HH ^^H^H^I ing Arabnovelist, mayhavefirstHH ^^^^B^^^^B^^^^E ^^^^^^^H...