Safe Return Doubtful

Translated by Asa Zatz.

Published in Mexico for the first time in 1983, and based on real events, this is the story of serial-killing brothel owners Delfina and María de Jésus González, whose crimes were uncovered in 1964. Though the novel’s opening smacks of a typical crime thriller, a violent scene at the end of a soured romance, it soon descends into something far darker. Serafina Baladro and her sister run a successful brothel business in a small town, so successful that they begin to expand. But when business starts to falter, life in the brothel turns ugly, and slowly, girls start disappearing.
The result is a compelling satire, written in the concise tones of the reportage of the day, it reflects the dogmatism of a dated and broken justice system, and the dark world of prostitution and modern slavery, bringing to mind other tragic but essential recent work such as Toews’s Women Talking, and Simon/Pelecanos’s The Deuce.
As with both of the above, Ibargüengoitia treads a fine line, this could easily be distasteful. He avoids this by parodising the discourse of the police, and by using witness accounts that provide uncertainty, humour and a Gothic framework, all with a deftness that is hugely impressive.
It took me a while to get into, but once engaged his style became completely captivating. Highly recommended.