Don Rigoberto’s and his second wife Lucrecia’s relationship is built on physicality and sexuality. When the prepubescent Alfonsito begins to insistently pursue his stepmother, she strongly resists. One day, however, she gives in. An entry into the erotic novel genre, Mario Vargas Llosa, obviously not satisfied with adhering to any conventions, immediately puts his own spin on what should be possible in such a tale. For instance, much of the eroticism is overdone in a way that borders on the grotesque which to me made […]