Me refiero a los Játac. (I am Talking About the Játac)

Reviewed by Carlos Rodríguez Martorell, East Elmhurst, NY -- Críticas, 10/1/2007

In Peramo’s (b. Barcelona, 1967) new novel—winner of the second Premio Editorial Bruguera, which the publisher awards to relatively unknown authors—the Spanish writer takes an unsentimental look at adolescence. Carlos, a 35-year old engineer in the middle of a marital crisis, takes a work-related trip to the industrial outskirts of Barcelona, his old playground. The surroundings stir up remorse about Tiny, one of five inseparable buddies (JATAC is an acronym of their names: Jorge, Albert, Tiny, Albert, and Carlos) who was beaten to death by a rival gang. Carlos forcefully reflects on the complexity of those adolescent years, when loyalty and cruelty coexisted in the raw. The author vividly reconstructs 1981 Spain through a teenager’s perspective: instead of reflecting on the country's political turmoil, his focus is on TV series such as Orzowei and Starsky & Hutch, the Mortadelo y Filemón comics, heavy metal anthems, and the upcoming soccer World Cup. This is the novel's most engaging—and, fortunately, extensive—portion. Carlos's marriage is far less intriguing and his insufferable wife, Vanessa, is not fully realized. Recommended for libraries and bookstores with a strong selection of new Spanish writers.