Description: Acclaimed Salvadoran writer Mario Bencastro examines themes of war, dislocation, and longing in this bilingual collection of stories, poetry, and one novella. Many of his characters are forced to leave their homelands because of violence and poverty. But once in the Promised Land, separated from family and friends and in a country whose language and culture they dont understand, many find themselves overwhelmed by feelings of loss and nostalgia. In Dragon Boy, a group of children orphaned by El Salvadors civil war band together to survive, even as they are exploited by predators. In The Plan, a successful Swiss millionaire returns to his native El Salvadorwhich he left as a defenseless orphanand executes his ruthless plan to take revenge on those responsible for the brutal killings of his family. And in From Australia with Love, a Salvadoran emigre plans to marry a countryman she met on the Internet, until they realize that they have met before. Readers will not soon forget Bencastros depiction of the horrible realities of war and the painful need to leave behind all that is dear.
