The Discreet Hero, Nobelist Mario Vargas Llosa's 2013 novel, follows a theme seen in his earlier writings-- the individual faced with an unfair or corrupt system. In this case, there are parallel stories of two older Peruvian businessmen, each with their own battle. Felicito, owner of a trucking company in the provincial city of Piura, receives threatening notes from an extortionist demanding monthly payments for safety, signed with a picture of a spider. Rigoberto, a manager in an insurance company in Lima, does a favor for his boss and longtime friend, Ismael. Although approaching 80, Ismael has decided to marry his much younger housekeeper, for companionship but also to thwart his good-for-nothing sons, who clearly wish he were dead. He asks Ismael to be a witness at his wedding, knowing that there will be a scandal and an uproar.
In both cases, the two men do the right thing. Felicito refuses to pay the extortionists, against the advice of his colleagues who do pay and consider it the cost of doing business. Rigoberto agrees to be a witness to the controversial marriage. Both end up in a lot of trouble. Felicio's business is firebombed. Rigoberto must deal with lawsuits brought by Isamael's sons, and additionally his own son begins to have hallucinatory experiences in which he has visits from Edilberto Torres, who Rigoberto comes to believe is the devil.
The two stories ultimately come together, in a surprising manner. Here we find a kind of growth in Llosa's outlook. In the past, the focus has been on an individual's struggles with a malign system, whether it be a military academy (The time of the hero) or a dictatorship (The feast of the goat). In this case, the evil comes from within (without giving too much away, from someone who would normally be expected to be loving and caring). My own feeling is that Llosa made this clear enough already, but he spells it out in the story of his own decent son Fonchito, who is tempted by the devil.
The Discreet Hero did not leave me with the feeling of wonder that I experienced when I finished Marquez' 'Love in the Time of Cholera'. But it is a well-crafted tale that emphasizes the importance of doing what one thinks is right, even when the evil one faces is close to home.
