The Dark Bride

THE DARK BRIDE. Laura Restrepo. 1999/2004. Read by Alyssa Bresnahan. 10 tapes. 14 hrs. Recorded Books. 1-4025-4205-4. $89.75. Vinyl; plot, reader notes. A

In the oil town of Tora, Colombia, a skinny child with lice-ridden hair arrives and announces that she is going to learn to be a puta--a prostitute. A local practitioner of the trade, Todos los Santos, cleans up the child and teaches her manners. Part Guahibo Indian, the girl adopts the name Sayonara to make herself seem more exotic. As she matures, she captures the heart of virtually every man in sight. Particularly tormented is the man who gave her a ride in his cart on her first day in town; he feels guilty for having delivered her into the low life and longs to possess her entirely. Sayonara, for her part, makes the one fatal mistake a puta can make--she falls desperately in love with one of her customers.

Rich, lush writing, a powerfully enveloping atmosphere, and a deep sympathy for the underdog mark this novel by renowned Colombian author and political activist Laura Restrepo. Its original Spanish title, La Nor via Oscura, denotes more complexity than the English title, since novia can mean girlfriend, fiancee, or bride. Readers who prefer their stories simple and their morality conventional won't like this intricately layered tale: the prostitutes are likened to suffering Christian martyrs, and they are celebrated for their courage, their generosity, and their matter-of-fact attitude toward life. There is bawdy humor, although the sex is poetically suggested rather than explicit.

Acclaimed narrator and actor Alyssa Bresnahan delivers the novel with energy and understanding, landing us at the intimate center of a world most of us will never know. Helen Elizabeth Woodman, Andover, NH

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