THE PRESIDENT AND THE FROG by Carolina De Robertis - Booklist Review

Booklist | July 1, 2021

This fairy tale of a novel kicks off with, “Once upon a time,” and its hero completes a classically harrowing journey. But instead of becoming a prince, he ascends as a self-effacing, humanrights-advocating president of an unnamed Latin American country, positioned in stark and pointed contrast to a certain megalomaniacal leader to the north. De Robertis (Cantoras, 2019) based her hero on the much-heralded, real-life José Mujica, former president of Uruguay. Here, her fictionalized protagonist prepares for an interview with a foreign journalist at his modest home, leading to a dual labyrinth of memory. The tale alternates between this retired public official looking back on his storied career under the gaze of an outsider, and full immersion in the subterranean, dark, and dirty "Hole" as this brave guerrilla relives torture and degradation. How does he survive? By talking with a frog. Their conversations draw him back to his original youthful inspiration and the love of his life, Sofia, comrade and spouse. Readers will be inspired by De Robertis' timeless, lucidly told tale of a leader committed to his people.