The jaguar’s children

John Vaillant

£9.99

In stock

Hector is trapped. The water truck, sealed to hide its human cargo, has broken down. The coyotes have taken all the passengers’ money for a mechanic and have not returned. Hector finds a name in his friend Cesar’s phone: Annimac. A name with an American number. He must reach her, both for rescue and to pass along the message Cesar has come so far to deliver. But are his messages going through? Over four days, as water and food run low, Hector tells how he came to this desperate place. His story takes us from Oaxaca – its rich culture, its rapid change – to the dangers of the border, exposing the tangled ties between Mexico and El Norte. And it reminds us of the power of storytelling and the power of hope, as Hector fights to ensure his message makes it out of the truck and into the world.

ISBN: 9781399739016 Category:

Description

FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FIRE WEATHER

The Jaguar’s Children will be read for a long time to come. It is a major social novel’
PHILIPP MEYER, author of The Son

‘A large, ambitious novel’
VANCOUVER SUN

‘Unforgettable . . . a bold, heartbreaking novel’
TORONTO STAR

‘This is what novels can do – illuminate shadowed lives, enable us to contemplate our own depths of kindness, challenge our beliefs about fate’
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Somewhere north of the US border, Héctor is trapped. The empty water truck, where he is hidden with fourteen other desperate people, has broken down. The exit is sealed and the coyotes seem to have vanished.

His friend César has lost consciousness but his phone still has a little battery. With it, Héctor calls and messages ‘AnniMac’ – the only saved American number. He begs for help, explains their dangerous journey and gradually tells their story, from rural Oaxaca to the fractured city to the distant promise of a safe future in America.

As hours turn to days, Héctor waits for a response and fights to hold on to hope. Suspenseful and fiercely compassionate, The Jaguar’s Children is a cry to be heard and a defiant reminder of the human will to live.

PRAISE FOR JOHN VAILLANT’S FIRE WEATHER

‘Impossible to put down’
CAL FLYN, Sunday Times

Superb and terrifying’
KATHERINE RUNDELL, Guardian

‘A must-read’
NICK RENNISON, Daily Mail

Additional information

Weight 0.22 kg
Dimensions 19.6 × 12.8 × 2.4 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

288

Language

English

Edition

Paperback original

Dewey

813.6 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

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