Serpiente

“A snake slithers through the streets of Santiago,” begins this novel, which makes excess and street life its very essence. Baltazar, the protagonist, is an attractive prostitute who roams plazas and bars in the late sixties and early seventies, seeking clients. He has no shortage of them. Two of them, young like him, belong to opposing social and political factions, but they share a burning desire that draws them into Baltazar's world: the night, the adult theaters, the endless parties, and the cabarets where all sorts of characters meet. But Chile's turbulent political present permeates relationships, conversations, and plans, casting a thick and painful shadow over the future.