Retribution
Women's Press Literary (an imprint of Three O'Clock Press), Toronto, 2011.
International Latino Book Awards, 2nd Place, Best Popular Novel
Retribution was awarded Second Place in the Best Popular Novel Category at the 2012 International Latino Book Awards in NYC.
In this page you'll find out Praises, Reviews and Interviews related to the Retribution novel.
Advance Praise for Retribution
- "Retribution is a love-laden novel that cuts through the pain of a country; an intimate voice with the ability to make words visible and credible; a sensitive and skilful narrator who knows how to tell a Chilean story and turn it into one which will also captivate international readers."
Antonio Skármeta, author of Burning Patience (The Postman) and The Dancer and the Thief - "An emotionally complex, riveting tale of three generations of Chilean women. Although they are torn apart, like their homeland, by politics and violence, they are ultimately, and more inextricably, bound by their love. Retribution is a beautiful, affecting debut. Brava!"
Cristina Garcia, author of The Lady Matador's Hotel and Dreaming in Cuban - "Retribution is a complex and deeply moving work. It is a saga of love, courage, determination, and acceptance, in which three generations of women confront political upheaval and subsequent repression, i nd strength and consolation in their friends, lovers, and family, and link together their lives in Chile and Canada, two countries whose histories have become increasingly intertwined. Carmen Rodríguez brings a warm, human, yet realistic voice to the tragedy of the Pinochet coup d'état and the inspiring resilience of the Chilean people."
Hugh Hazelton, author and winner of the 2006 Governor General's Award for Translation - "...[T]he important story of family, love, political repression, and resistance in this novel of the Pinochet dictatorship and its repercussions in the lives of people and the nation."
Amy K. Kaminsky, author of After Exile - "The retribution at tained in Carmen Rodriguez' novel is neither vengeful nor violent, but a beautifully human way of countering the world's evil. Rodriguez' direct and often poetic language, rich in vivid detail, conveys the growth from innocence to awareness of a mother and daughter, Soledad and Sol... h e novel's themes—politica l div isions within families, socia l transformation, torture, betrayal, class consciousness—are rare in Canadian fiction, and the book is a valuable gift to this country's literature."
Cynthia Flood, author of The English Stories - "A compelling novel that takes the reader into the everyday experiences of a Chilean family before, during and after the Pinochet coup and dictatorship. Carmen Rodriguez has written a powerful story of lives shattered and regained, and of great courage and resilience in the face of unspeakable brutality."
Nancy Richler, author of Your Mouth is Lovely - "I was in Chile three years after the assassination attempt against Pinochet, when the catchword amongst friends was still casi lo matan—they almost killed him. Carmen Rodriquez has imagined a worse fate. She has written a stunning and heart-wrenching work of i ction about several generations of Chilean women whose histories revolve around the coup and dictatorship. Retribution is a rich tapestry, epic in scope, painstaking in its detail, and an important reminder that while forgetting is not an option, love and decency are the ultimate revenge against violence."
Gary Geddes, author of Drink the Bitter Root: A Writer's Search for Justice and Redemption in Africa and winner of the Gabriela Mistral Prize - "Each sensuous detail in Retribution—spanning the domestic to the poetic—is a lyrical tribute to the strength of women whose love has transformed their suf ering. Candidly moving, pulsing with a deep love for the land and its inhabitants, Retribution sings of the tenderness of those who love and are loved, refusing to surrender vibrant legacies to the poison of hatred."
Lydia Kwa, author of The Colours of Heroines and Pulse