Description

"In a residential neighborhood of Lima overlooking the ocean, some well-to-do elderly people suffer the deterioration of their lives. Frasia, pressed by her economic needs, and who must work to raise her son Nico, has gradually become a vital companion to some of those older folks. If she could only manage to save up the money to buy ten guinea pigs, she could, as her uncle always told her, start a new life. Thus, every day she crosses the city by public transportation to help Mrs. Bertha, who, in addition to needing domestic help, also needs extra emotional support because in recent times she has been feeling a bit down and has had little to no contact with her daughter."--

Publisher Marketing:
PREMIO ALFAGUARA DE NOVELA 2023

«Una novela tragicómica que refleja uno de los grandes conflictos de nuestro tiempo».
(Del acta del jurado)

En un barrio residencial de Lima con vistas al mar languidecen unos ancianos de clase acomodada. Frasia, acuciada por sus necesidades económicas, pues tiene que sacar adelante a su hijo Nico, se ha ido convirtiendo en compañía imprescindible para algunos de ellos. Si consiguiera juntar diez cuyes, el dinero para comprar diez conejillos de Indias, podría, según le dijo siempre su tío, empezar una nueva vida. Así, todos los días cruza la ciudad en transporte público para asistir a Doña Bertha, que además de ayuda doméstica necesita un apoyo extra porque en los últimos tiempos anda baja de ánimo y casi no tiene contacto con su hija. Frasia es muy buena en eso, y es tanta la fama de su buen hacer que en poco tiempo empieza a trabajar, en el mismo edificio, para Jack Morrison, médico jubilado y viudo, aficionado al jazz y al whisky e inmerso en una soledad que le oprime el alma. Algo más tarde también lo hará en la residencia del barrio, donde un grupo de residentes han formado una familia que se hace llamar «los siete magníficos».

Sin embargo, a pesar de los cuidados de Frasia, para todos estos personajes los días siguen cayendo pesadamente en una rutina de medicamentos, comidas sosas a horas fijas, telefilmes, achaques y alguna que otra charla, en la que con frecuencia tienen muy presente el final de sus existencias. Frasia lo sabe, y también sabe que su estrecha relación y la confianza que ha logrado establecer con ellos acabará llevándola a una encrucijada.

«Cien cuyes es una novela tragicómica, situada en la Lima de hoy, que refleja uno de los grandes conflictos de nuestro tiempo: somos sociedades cada vez más longevas y cada vez más hostiles con la gente mayor. Paradoja que Gustavo Rodríguez aborda con destreza y humor. Un libro conmovedor cuyos protagonistas cuidan, son cuidados y defienden la dignidad hasta sus últimas consecuencias».

Del acta del jurado del XXVI Premio Alfaguara de novela, presidido por Claudia Piñeiro y compuesto por Javier Rodríguez Marcos, Carolina Orloff, Rafael Arias García, Juan Tallón y Pilar Reyes.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

Cien cuyes / One Hundred Guinea Pigs is a tragicomic novel about one of the great conflicts of our times: the care for the elderly and empathy towards them.

In a residential neighborhood of Lima overlooking the ocean, some well-to-do elderly people suffer the deterioration of their lives. Frasia, pressed by her economic needs, and who must work to raise her son Nico, has gradually become a vital companion to some of those older folks. If she could only manage to save up the money to buy ten guinea pigs, she could, as her uncle always told her, start a new life. Thus, every day she crosses the city by public transportation to help Mrs. Bertha, who, in addition to needing domestic help, also needs extra emotional support because in recent times she has been feeling a bit down and has had little to no contact with her daughter. Frasia is very good at lending emotional support, and her good work is so famous that in a short time she starts working in the same building, for Jack Morrison, a retired and widowed doctor, fond of jazz and whiskey, and immersed in a solitude that oppresses his soul. A little later she will also lend her support in the neighborhood residence, where a group of residents have formed a family that calls itself "the magnificent seven."

However, despite Frasia's care, for these people the days continue to fall heavily into a routine of medications, bland meals at fixed times, TV movies, ailments, and the occasional conversations, in which they always keep in the forefront of their minds that this is the end of their lives. Frasia is aware of this, and she's also aware that her close relationship and the trust she has established with them will end up leading her to a crossroads.

In Cien cuyes / One Hundred Guinea Pigs we see many things go hand in hand, loneliness and gatherings, differences in social classes and the ability to empathize beyond them, uncertainty about the future and old age, the end of the family unit and dependency. And above all, there is the essential and basic human need to find meaning in life.