Ultimate Good Luck

Got back from the sunny beaches of Pacific coast Mexico and into the dreary hanging on forever at the edge of its fingernails Canadian winter (feel my pain).

I thought to remind myself of warmer climes I'd read a book that takes place in Mexico. Richard Ford's, The Ultimate Good Luck has been on my bookshelf for a while so I picked it up. Ford is one of my favorites, though I hadn't read a novel of his recently - in fact, I usually like his short stories a lot better. I had forgotten how slow he paces things. But he paints the country well. The novel happen in Oaxaca, a place I haven't been. Still his descriptions ring true for the parts of Mexico I have visited. He says that all buildings in Mexico are either half finished, or half torn down - it's hard to tell. I wondered that myself as I walked the streets of Melaque. Had the work crews taken the day, or week, or month off? Or were they finished? Hard to tell.

The novel also describes the prison system and the corruption that takes place. This is one area I'd be glad to not explore. On the street in Puerto Vallarta I walked past a truck load of police in helmets and riot gear. They were holding thick black M-16's (or my limited gun knowledge guessed that). Turns out they were staking out a large bank in the area. I tried to imagine that scene in on a street where I live. Thankfully, I couldn't.