The Secret History of Las Vegas by Chris Abani

The Secret History of Las Vegas Reviews

• 
  Carmen

  I had to DNF this because it was so horrible and disgusting. If you want to read about the worst of humanity, read this book. I'm on page 22 and there's already been a suicide, leukemia, a racist cop who shot an unarmed black man to death, another pair of racist/ablest cops who accuse a black pair of conjoined twins of being serial killers for no other reason than the fact that they are black and conjoined, and torturing animals, specifically torturing mother baboons with newborn babies to death by setting fire to their cages and "seeing how they react."
  
  Not to mention the author doesn't believe in quotation marks.
  
  
  So I'm done. Hasta la vista, baby.
• 
  Trish

  The lavishly talented poet, novelist, playwright, and publisher Chris Abani began his writing career in Nigeria at sixteen with a satirical political novel, Masters of the Board, and followed up with political plays meant to be performed on the street. He was jailed in Nigeria three times in the 1980s, then moved to England and onward to the United States. He continues to accumulate awards for his edgy poetry and prose, publishes The Black Goat Poetry Series, an imprint of Akashic Press, and teaches English at Northwestern University. Abani was raised Roman Catholic and while a teen studied in the seminary.
  
  Abani’s latest novel is about betrayal and illusion, and how sometimes they might be the same thing. Humans betray all the time, intentionally or not, and we recognize the guilt or pain the characters confront as they examine large and small betrayals in their own lives. Sunil is a mixed-race South African transplant to Las Vegas where he works in a government lab, the Desert Palms Institute, as a scientist and co-director of a research project.

  “Now Sunil thought of Las Vegas as home. That’s the thing about having always been a displaced person; home was not a physical space but rather an internal landscape…[though] Vegas is really an African city…a grandiose tomb to itself…Just like in every major city across Africa, from Cairo to his hometown of Johannesburg, the palatial exteriors of the city architecture barely screen the seething poverty, the homelessness, and the despair that spread in townships and shantytowns as far as the eye could see.”

  
  Sunil knows something about a body dump just outside Vegas city limits near Lake Mead. Soon-to-retire Detective Salazar wants to solve the miserable case of multiple murders that has stretched on for years and, when he comes upon a possibly sociopathic pair of conjoined twins near the site, he calls Sunil for help.
  
  It is here that Abani shows his particular sensitivity and skill in recognizing and representing the lives of outsiders. He parallels Sunil’s story as a Black Indian growing up in South Africa (doubly estranged from powerful White society under apartheid) with the conjoined twins who are part of The Downwinder Nation, a group committed to the eradication of dangerous military research in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Many of the Downwinders feel betrayed by their government because they are victims of that research, manifesting mutations as a result of being improperly protected from nuclear testing.
  
  Illusion is another theme that runs through the narrative, and the conjoined twins, as freaks in the sideshow of a circus, understand and exploit this aspect of Las Vegas. Sunil himself has photos on the wall of his office that show zebu, the cattle of his childhood, so uniquely marked with spots that from a distance they look like flocks of birds resting on hillside, a spotted Rubik’s Cube, or a tarot deck. The Desert Palms Institute, supposedly working for the good of mankind, may actually be harming it.
  
  Abani writes a dark story about the underside of glittery Las Vegas but ultimately the story is redemptive. Eskia trails Sunil from South Africa with a vendetta of his own, and Brewster, Sunil’s boss, rules the lab with an unethical expediency. Neither escape the traps they have set for others.
  
  Sunil has more than one woman in love with him, and he is capable of loving each. Sheila is a woman who works with him, and Asia is a prostitute. Sunil has ambiguous feelings about Asia’s work, but resolves it by explaining to Asia that “’prostitute’ comes from the Latin verb prostituere”. As a verb, it could mean that one is a prostitute only while having sex for money, rather than all the time as when the word is used as a noun. Sunil is not granted resolution in the matter of the women so that we wonder at the end if these folks will reappear in a novel yet to come.
  
  Abani’s great skill--what sets his work apart from many others--is rooted in his use of language, and his deep and abiding humanity in view of great inhumanity.
  
• 
  Cynthia

  With “The Secret History of Las Vegas” a new genre emerges: Horror/Mystery/Literary Fiction. The book is chilling and not recommended for the faint of heart or easily squeamish. Deformity is the central theme in this book and that deformity can take many forms including physical or mental or emotional or some combination of the three. Sunil is a psychiatrist who grew up in South Africa and lived through some horrific things only to escape to the US only to find situations that are just as terrible. Some of these nightmares follow him from his childhood and others are home grown right here in the States. Sunil is also nursing a broken heart for the woman he left behind and is unable to move on with his romantic life.
  
  Part of the mysteries in this book are known from the beginning…except for motive and the genesis of how what is hidden became so. Abani not only writes a literary thriller but he seamlessly goes back and forth between past and present, America and South Africa, drawing parallels that tie the action together. Sunil makes a leap from the conventional DSM definition of psychopathy to a disease that twists the soul and spirit. This holistic approach is the main strength of “The Secret History of Las Vegas”. The descriptions of the Vegas and African deserts are evocative and haunting and serve as metaphors for the dichotomy between a rich inner life and often depraved appearances. This is true not only for people but for the two governments as well since both Africa and America have been guilty of betraying their populations through abuse and an attempt to control them. I found the all too realistic evil that’s portrayed in this book chilling. There’s nary a Miss Marple or Cabot Cove in the book. If you like cozy mysteries “The Secret History of Las Vegas” isn’t the book for you but if you like wonderful writing and depth of emotion and characterization you’ll be delighted.
  
  An e-copy of this book was provided by the publishers for review purposes.
  (Disclaimer given as required by the FTC.)
  
• 
  Beverly

  Splendid!
  Was my thought when I finished the last hauntingly suspenseful page of this intensely intimate novel exploring the human soul seeking redemption, revenge and acceptance to the question what do we owe to others and ourselves for their roles in our lives.
  While I have read other Abani’s novels in the past, I was not quite sure what to expect as this book seemed it would a departure from his other work. So I was pleasantly surprised when discovering this was much more than a standard mystery story and what initially looks like separate storylines (serial killer, atomic testing, apartheid) effortlessly intertwine around your emotions as you are folded into the characters world. As one of the character states – “There is always blame, he said. There has to be, what is life without it?”
  The lyrically assured prose is both beautiful and bold in a bracingly unexpected manner as the tightly-plotted storyline deals with people who are often voiceless until they disturb the tranquility of our charmed lives.
  
• 
  Book Riot Community

  Everything about this novel was fantastic which left me kicking myself for not having read Abani sooner but excited that I have his back catalog to dive into. The writing is excellent; the story is captivating, disturbing, and dark; and the fringe characters create so much uniqueness and depth–from the conjoined twins (Fire and Water) to Sunil (a doctor that specializes in sociopaths)–that I could not put this book down. Abani expertly blends literary fiction, mystery, and horror as a detective tries to solve a slew of murders which he becomes convinced must have been committed by the conjoined twins that he found bathing near a barrel filled of blood. Sunil, while not convinced the twins are murderers, is fascinated by understanding them–when he’s not busy reliving his dark past or falling in love with Asia. Definitely a book that will stay with me a long time.
  
  — Jamie Canaves
  
  
  from The Best Books We Read In February 2017:
  http://bookriot.com/2017/02/28/riot-r...
  ____________________
  
  
  I am here to tell you that Chris Abani can WRITE. This man does sentence structure, character development, and plot like it’s the simplest thing in the world — which, as we all know, is far from the truth. A troubled researcher teams up with an aging detective to crack a murder case that may involve a set of conjoined twins; what ensues is heartbreaking, funny, thoughtful, sensual, political, and page-turning to the extreme. I hesitate to even say it, but The Secret History of Las Vegas might be perfect. — Jenn Northington
  
  
  
  from The Best Books We Read In March:
  http://bookriot.com/2015/04/01/riot-r...
• 
  Lisa Nienhaus

  You know I really didn't care for this book. I finished it, which means it isn't all bad. But here is what I disliked about the book:
  1. The book never used quotation marks in the dialogue. This makes dialogue hard to follow and confusing.
  2. The story would go from riding in a car, to a flash back and then back to the current car ride with no warning. I find this very hard to keep up with, and found myself re-reading things wondering what I missed.
  3. The cover of this book describes this book as suspenseful. I never found it suspenseful at all. There was a point, about 200 pages in, that I thought "OK, here it is, the story line is coming together, this is going to be good" and then I had to force myself to finish the book.
  4. That being said about suspense, I also disliked the ending. I will admit to liking books that have a tidy ending, in that all story lines are wrapped up. This story line didn't wrap up a single story line. Maybe it's leaving itself up for a part two, who knows?
  
  So what I did I like about this book? That list isn't as long....it does read well. It did hold my interest. I thought the story line gave good visuals and I could imagine and picture where they were and the characters well. I did enjoy a few of the characters which doesn't happen in every book I read.
  
  Not sure I would pick up another book by this author.
• 
  Elizabeth A

  I'm headed to Las Vegas next week to visit family, so thought it would be the perfect time to read this one. And holy moly, but where has Chris Abani been all my life?
  
  Here is the premise: Before he can retire, Las Vegas detective Salazar is determined to solve a recent spate of murders. When he encounters a pair of conjoined twins with a container of blood near their car, he’s sure he has apprehended the killers, and enlists the help of Dr. Sunil Singh, a South African transplant who specializes in the study of psychopaths.
  
  This dark and gritty tale is unlike any other mystery/crime novel I have read. The prose is lyrical, the sense of place so wonderfully described that I could feel the grit, and the book is peopled with fascinating characters.
  
  This is a book about many things: secrets, atomic testing, apartheid, psychopathy, serial murders, regrets, freaks, the human condition, and yet somehow the author skillfully weaves all this threads together to form a tapestry that disturbs as much as it delights.
  
  This is not one for the faint of heart. And I've read reviews where people where bugged by the fact that the author does not use quotation marks. You get used to it. So why not 5 stars? I felt that the women characters could have used a bit more fleshing out. I'd highly recommend this complex and disturbing story, just be forewarned that there is quite a bit of violence, so it is not a cozy read.
• 
  Sandra Settevig

  Interesting characters, plot doesn't sustain momentum.
• 
  Jane Ciabattari

  Chris Abani (and The Secret History of Las Vegas) included in this Between the Lines column for BBC.com:
  
  
  http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/2014...
• 
  Cheyenne

  For my video review of the book, go here:
  https://youtu.be/4uMDTQT61ts
  
  I thought this was a very interesting story. It wasn't quite what I expected from the summary on the inside flap--I thought it would be a murder mystery, but the cause of the mysterious deaths the detective is investigating is revealed to the reader almost immediately. That being said, there are still some mysterious elements to the story, such as the motivations of a pair of conjoined twins, which are worked out over time. I also enjoyed the writing; though the story was definitely gritty and dark, the prose still had an artful quality about it.
  
  It should be noted first and foremost that a lot of characters in this book are rather unpleasant and hard to like. People are very openly rude to the twins, including their nurse in a hospital. The phrase "Fuck you" is thrown around a lot, even from one psychiatrist to another in what should be a professional situation. In general, it felt like Chris Abani went out of his way at times to make characters almost unbelievably unpleasant. That being said, there are still a lot of characters that have redeeming qualities, and I did find myself liking Sunil, who is arguably the main protagonist. I personally found the unlikable characters tolerable, but you should be prepared on reading this to see the darker side of humanity.
  
  Another complaint I had about this book was that it does spend a lot of time in flashbacks and can even get a little info-dumpy about the characters' history. Sunil, our main character, comes from South Africa and experienced the hardships of apartheid. Much of this story is actually about the things that happened to him in South Africa, and while these diversions into the past made sense in the later parts of the book when I could see how everything was going to tie together, it felt very dense and unnecessary in the beginning. This book introduces you to a wide range of characters early on, and the fact that it also kept jumping into the past felt almost too much until the significance of these stories started to become more clear.
  
  Perhaps my biggest complaint about this book, however, was the science behind the twins. Externally, one twin has his own full, relatively normal body, while the other twin is simply a head and two arms sticking out of his side. It is also said that the smaller, more parasitic-looking twin is unable to do things such as digest solid foods. Yet upon further examination of the two of them, they are discovered to be two very separate twins who don't share any vital organs, etc., and it is said that they could have been easily separated as children. This strikes me as strange. I find it hard to believe that an otherwise normally-shaped body could fit two full sets of organs without further complications. A later development in the plot makes Abani's decision to have them completely separate internally even less logical. Toward the end of the book, we learn that Fire, the smaller twin, was actually born brain-dead and Water, the fully-formed twin, has been controlling him and performing ventriloquism to make everyone think they are both alive. This would make way more sense if Fire were truly parasitic and dependent on Water. As it is, if they are so separate, Water shouldn't have the ability to control Fire's part of the body at all, as their neural circuitry should also be separate. Truly, the only reason Abani had to give them two separate organ systems was so that he could say that doctors offered their mother the option of separating them at birth, which she declined out of concern that the smaller twin would die, but this is the exact kind of thing that would occur with a parasitic twin. In general, parasitic twins are removed in order to give their fully-formed sibling the best chance at life possible. So I honestly have no idea why Abani went with this more nonsensical biological explanation.
  
  The last negative thing that I have to say about this is that the story didn't get tied up quite as neatly as I would have liked. There was a sort of love triangle going on in the background of all the more thrilling material, yet nothing ever comes of it. By the end of the book, neither of the potential romantic interests have been chosen, which makes me almost question their purpose to the story. I don't think we needed two love interests if our main character was never going to commit to deciding on pursuing one of them; their small contributions to the other parts of the story could have been combined into one character. I was also a bit unclear about the significance of the drum of blood found with the twins at the beginning of the book. I generally know why it's there. It is dismissed toward the end as a means that the twins used to attract the attention of the police, presumably so that they could attract the attention of the police and eventually be put into a position to bomb the institute. How they knew that the institute was tied up with the investigation is unclear. What's most unclear, though, is where they obtained that blood in the first place.
  
  All that said, I did enjoy this book a lot. It was refreshing to read a book with such a diverse cast--almost every single character was a POC, and, of course, there were conjoined twins. There was also a character that I think might have been intended to be trans, although that could just be my little LGBT-loving heart reading into things, as nothing was definitively stated.
  
  I would recommend this book for people looking for a unique, gritty thriller and for those interested in stories about apartheid-era South Africa. I would definitely read more by this author.
• 
  Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews)

  
  http://www.mybookishways.com/2014/01/...
  
  Over the course of a couple of years, the bodies of homeless men have been turning up along the shores of Lake Mead, right outside of Las Vegas. Not just one or two at a time, either, but piles of bodies. Detective Salazar has been working the case, and, on the cusp of retirement, he’s determined to put it to rest, as the last good thing he can do. All of the dead are a burden on his soul, but it’s one body that stood out the most, that of a red headed young girl, found amongst a pile of the dead. He’s soon called to the shores of Lake Mead again, where a park ranger has found conjoined twins in the lake, one seemingly holding the other under the water. A container full of blood is also found nearby. Not sure if he has attempted murder, suicide, or something else on his hands, Salazar calls in Dr. Sunil Singh, whose specialty lies in studying the nature of psychopaths. Little does Salazar know, Dr. Singh knows more about the body dumps than he’s letting on, and the twins, Fire and Water, are much more than they seem.
  
  Chris Abani is the author of six novels and numerous works of poetry, and he’s won too many awards to count. The man very accomplished, and is highly respected in the literary world, for good reason. The Secret History of Las Vegas is, on the surface, a mystery, but underneath lies a fascinating story of a complicated, and at his core, good man whose past haunts him and who continues to seek redemption, in spite of his current work. Sunil Singh’s studies on the nature of psychopaths aren’t exactly what anyone would call humane, and its intended applications are terrifying. Singh’s past in Apartheid era South Africa has instilled in him enough horror to last a lifetime, and the heartache that he carries for a lost love is an undercurrent in the sadness that follows him like a dark cloud. Singh doesn’t know what to think of the twins, but he does sense something else at work, and he hopes to get to the bottom of it. Singh’s past is about to catch up with him, and a desert showdown is on the horizon.
  
  The narrative mainly follows Salazar and Singh, and delves into both of their pasts, but this is really Singh’s story. The book, however, begins with the story of the twins’ mother, their birth, and eventually, her death right before they are to join a sideshow, and the scenes with the twins were some of my favorites. There’s a distinct nourish feel and Salazar is appropriately gruff, but like Singh, there’s nothing simple about him either. The horrors of Apartheid are explored through Singh, but never gratuitously, always in a very matter of fact way and perhaps this was why, for me, it was so upsetting, especially his memories about the chilling Vlakplaas,which served as the headquarters of the South African Police counterinsurgency (C10) during Apartheid. Singh is a man shaped by his past, by much tragedy, and yet constantly hopes for brighter things. His love for a prostitute named Asia punctuates his sadness, and longing. Abani is a master of subtlety, and it’s the little things that are important in this novel. Abani’s exploration of racial identity are also a big part of this book, as are those of the nature of family, and even love.When I started the book, I never could have imagined how it would end, but I can tell you that it was surprising, and ultimately, very satisfying. Amongst so much darkness, there can still be hope, and light, and it’s on this note that the author leaves us. This is an unusual, fascinating, sometimes very creepy, and ultimitely optimistic novel, and it’s not to be missed.
• 
  Holly

  This book wasn't really what I expected. It's hard to review in any meaningful way without giving away the secrets of the book, which are the real reason to read it. The premise is that a set of conjoined twins (Fire and Water) are discovered near a barrel of blood near Las Vegas. Detective Salazar, a LV detective near retirement, wants to solve a case involving body dumps of many homeless men and one young woman; he feels that the twins might somehow be involved. He elicits the help of Dr. Sunil Singh, a psychiatrist from South Africa who specializes in psychopathy.
  
  But, to say that is what this book is really about misses the mark entirely. To a large extent, the mystery of the body dump is resolved very early in the book for the reader (though not for Salazar). The more interesting part of the story revolves around the early life of Dr. Singh, the horrors he witnessed and participated in in South Africa. The book becomes largely a look at apartheid and its consequences. But even that doesn't really get to the heart of the book.
  
  It was a complex, disturbing story with many interesting characters. I would recommend it pretty highly (but be forewarned that there is quite a lot of violence). Also, reading another review reminded me that I should mention that the author chooses not to use quotation marks anywhere. It drove me crazy. I wish he would have followed regular conventions, as I sometimes had to reread, not sure whether the character was speaking or not. A minor quibble, but quite annoying and distracting.
• 
  Cara

  It makes me irrationally angry when authors don't use quotation marks for dialogue, or at least old style dashes. It's such an easy thing to do, and it makes everything so much more readable. It's like using paragraphs. Yes, all authors do it, but they do it for a good reason. People who make the 'artistic' choice not to do it just piss me off. Oh, you're too fucking good for quotation marks? Well I'm too fucking good for this book.
  
  I'm kind of glad I persevered with this book, but it could have just been so much better with just a minimal amount of formatting effort. Great job,
  Chris Abani, you've turned me off anything else you're ever going to write, and I was really looking forward to
  GraceLand.
• 
  Cheryl

  I read this book back when it came out. I just realized that I never got around to writing my review of this book. Not because I did not like this book but because I loved this "freakin" book. It was both a combination of awesomeness and freaky. I was so in awe of what I read that I needed to digest everything before I wrote a review. Although I must admit in the beginning I was not sure what I was reading. Yet, the further I read the more I liked the story and the characters. This book has the feel of American Horror Story. A favorite show of mine. Water and Fire are like ying and yang but they complement each other. Detective Salazar is another strong character. He started out closed minded but by the end he and I were both open minded. This is a must read.
• 
  Jennifer

  This book is part detective thriller and part literary fiction. Abani is an incredible writer, with a voice that creates interesting, dynamic characters. I heard him describe this book at a recent conference as a "detective novel about a pair of conjoined twins that may or may not be serial killers." Throw in some major guilty flashbacks from South African upbringing for the main character, and that's a pretty spot-on description. I was enthralled with the book from the first page, and am still puzzling over some of the mysteries. Some of the scenes were truly disturbing, exposing (what I assume) were just the realities of living in Apartheid South Africa. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good fiction.
• 
  ColumbusReads

  I really thought I would enjoy this book because I enjoyed his Graceland and other reviewers who I follow and respect gave it high marks. I had one of those "what's wrong with me" instances where you're not quite understanding how others have loved the book and you're like this lone wolf out there alone. I just don't get it. This one really, really disappointed me.
• 
  Kima Jones

  An absolute triumph in originality and its take on the noir. Asia's character--however--did not satisfy. Extremely well done save for the ending which fell flat.
• 
  Tony Snyder

  Wrenching, delicate, breathtaking, brutal. Read it.
• 
  Gary

  I will give it a 3.5 ! Interesting story. Lots of intrigue, history, facts and conclusion. Characters galore in this twisted, somewhat, story about a researcher from afar, now in Vegas doing similar work. A love story that pit two men against each other with one plotting revenge. Add to the story conjoined twins who form the basis of the book, with suggestions that a lot of malformed individuals that were prevalent during the 60"s and 70's at freak side shows were in fact the results of the nuclear tests done in Nevada. Throw in the fact that one of the conjoined twins is a savant ( rain man movie ) and you end up at least with an infinite amount of knowledge on subject matter one probably would never venture on questioning. You will also get a real life view of prostitution and the why it takes place. Lots of little trails of story telling impregnated through this novel to give you a variety of things to ponder on. In the end it follows a script of vengeance with sub plots and red herrings. Nuff said ! Read it when your mind needs to drift off in another way.
• 
  Hillary

  I happened to randomly pick up this book as I was strolling past the infinite library shelves & am VERY glad I did! Not only was it a compelling page-turner, as every mystery should be, but it was beautifully written & far more complex than your average mystery—exploring ideas about human connection to the past, both physical & remembered, the connections between people and place, the ramifications of apartheid in South Africa (ever present for those who endured it), and how we view and behave toward those that are different from ourselves. I was impressed with Abani's ability to tell a fantastic mystery tale with so much insight, emotion, and depth.
• 
  Leah Haugen

  So anticlimactic. The book was building and building the whole time and then POOF. Everything happened and that was the end. And the author doesn't use quotation marks!!!
• 
  Hannah Dolins

  Very slow at times, but incredibly shocking ending! (For me, at least)
• 
  Yulneedsbooks

  The Secret History of Las Vegas es un libro que seleccioné porque sabía que era el ideal para mí. Lo vi muy claro: pasados turbios, pesadillas, siameses con tendencias psicopáticas, circos, experimentos del gobierno, y giros argumentales que, como ya parecía, me iban a dejar sin palabras. 
  
  
  
  Me hice un esquema mental de lo que pasaría en el libro; que si esto, que si aquello, que si lo de más allá... Comencé a idear cómo serían los personajes, las situaciones y los conflictos, y me llevé un buen golpe de realidad: nada de lo que yo pensaba fue lo que me encontré. 
  
  Hay quienes preguntarán ahora "¿fue para mejor, o para peor?". 
  
  Sencillamente, yo responderé que ha sido toda una sorpresa. En algunos aspectos, el libro no ha estado del todo con mis expectativas, pero, en la mayoría de los casos, puedo decir con orgullo que ha superado con creces lo que yo pensaba que me encontraría. 
  
  
  
  The Secret History of Las Vegas ha sido una de estas historias que comienzan con normalidad y van cogiendo carrerilla e impulso hasta convertirse en una novelaza. Personalmente, creo que ha sido un gran descubrimiento, me lo terminé esta semana pero ya tengo ganas de volverlo a leer, por conocer de nuevo la historia sabiendo ya de los giros argumentales. 
  
  
  “We are hunting the demons that haunt others. We get a smell and off we go. And you know why, Sunil? You know why we are so good at hunting the demons of others? Because we are so good, gifted even, at stalking and evading our own. But all demons hunters think that they are really heroes, and you know what all heroes need?”
  
  
  
  
  Mi encuentro con esta novela fue como en la mayoría de los casos: estuve buscando, largo y tendido, sobre personajes memorables, y, sobre todo, giros impresionantes en la historia. 
  
  Además, recuerdo que en mi búsqueda me enfoqué sobre todo en que fuera un relato bastante sórdido, de estos que no son del gusto de cualquiera, pero sobre los cuales a mí me encanta leer. 
  
  
  
  
  Así di con esta novela, a la que situaban como una auténtica locura, un subidón de adrenalina que, ahora, puedo asegurar que es lo que fue. Pese a que el protagonista no ha terminado de ser del todo de mi interés, sí puedo decir que los dos personajes en los que se centra la novela, los gemelos siameses, son absolutamente impecables. De haber salido más, la nota de este libro habría llegado hasta la estratosfera, pero tampoco tenían tanta aparición. 
  
  
  Por otro lado, creo que ha sido un exquisito recorrido por la parte más turbia de Las Vegas, desde prostíbulos y freak shows hasta hospitales psiquiátricos e investigaciones policiales sobre oleadas de asesinatos. Tiene lo que a mí me interesa: morbo, pero con una fuerte crítica, y mucho contenido demoledor. Me ha parecido un libro muy bueno, buenísimo, de hecho.
  
  
  De manera que, sin demorarme más, comenzaré la reseña:
  
  
  
  ¿De qué trata?
  
  
  The Secret History of Las Vegas gira en torno a diferentes historias, llevadas por unos personajes con mucha voz, que tratan temas como la marginación social, las falsas apariencias, los pasados que siempre vuelven, la maldad y el abandono hacia algunos colectivos sociales. 
  
  
  Más directamente, la historia consiste en una investigación en la que se ve metido el detective Salazar, antes de poder retirarse del cuerpo policial, que trata acerca de los recientes asesinatos de personas sin hogar. En Halloween, se encuentra a dos gemelos siameses, y está seguro, debido a la enorme cantidad de sangre, en un contendor cercano a su coche, de que se tratan de los asesinos.
  
  
  “Circles of hell. He hated to admit it, but Eugene had been right in his choice of Inferno, except their interpretations differed. Where Eugene saw only the internal battle of the privileged soul, Sunil saw the entire architecture and structures of racism and apartheid: three concentric circles of life and economics. Color-coded circles for easy understanding, whites at the heart, coloreds at the next remove, and finally, the blacks at the outermost circle; the closest to hell—the strange inverse sense of apartheid.”
  
  
  
  Chang y Eng Bunker
  
  Water, atractivo y silencioso; y Fire, desfigurado y de mente ágil, trabajan en un sideshow (diferente a los circos, como más tarde se explica), y pueden tratarse de una auténtica rareza en los terrenos de la psicología. Salazar, viéndose en un callejón sin salida, y sin pruebas suficientes, decide contratar a Sunil Singh, un psiquiatra sudafricano que está especializado en el estudio de los psicópatas, para que le ayude con el caso. 
  
  
  A partir de ese momento, la carga recae sobre Sunil, el cual, por si fuera poco, está siendo perseguido por un misterioso hombre que parece tener toda intención en acabar con su vida. 
  
  
  A lo largo de los tres días en los que Sunil tratará de entender mejor la mente de los gemelos, se verá que él mismo tiene demasiados demonios interiores, pero él no será el único que se enfrentará a un siniestro pasado... los siameses, nacidos a partir de un experimento que causó un exceso de radiación sobre su madre, tendrán su propia venganza entre sus manos...
  
  
  
  
  Marginación social, diferencias, peculiaridades, y la parte más humana de nuestro mundo
  
  
  La primera impresión que me causó el libro fue la ambientación, la cual se dejaba de remilgos e iba directamente al grano. 
  
  
  
  He oído decir que a mucha gente le parece este libro "insensible", y hecho para "sacar lo peor de la humanidad". Discrepo totalmente.
  
  
  Si para esas personas lo peor de la humanidad es la gente peculiar, diferente y maltratada psicológicamente a base de los años, entonces puede que sí, pero a mí me parece que esta novela es la oportunidad de sacar a flote la parte más perdida del ser humano, es decir, resaltar a todo aquel que trabaja, vive o forma parte de la parte más abandonada y dejada de lado de la sociedad. 
  
  Y hablo desde inmigrantes hasta siameses, vagabundos, prostitutas, y gente de poco dinero. Hablo de todo aquel que ha sufrido abusos por el sistema, que ha sido rechazado como "de lo peor", que ha sido malmirado a lo largo de los siglos. 
  
  
  
  Sí, es cierto que este libro saca lo peor de muchas personas, pero también hace un gran énfasis en las razones de que, aquellos que tanto tiempo han sido maltratados, acaben por estallar. 
  
  Es más, me parece que la novela es un perfecto cancionero de la parte más humana de la gente, precisamente porque refleja lo menos ordinario en el día a día. 
  
  
  “He too, it seemed, had come to believe that he could somehow escape history. That it was possible, and even desirable, to live in a perpetual present.”
  
  
  
  
  
  No hay familias felices que cenen pavo el Día de Acción de Gracias, pero en su lugar hay doctores que tratan de salir a flote y lidiar con su pasado, hermanos que luchan por proteger al otro cueste lo que cueste, sicarios que han perdido toda motivación y detestan sus vidas, mujeres que venden sus cuerpos porque ya no saben de qué otra manera salir adelante... Gente que somos o que podríamos haber sido, personas como nosotros, exactamente como nosotros, con todas sus luces y sus sombras. 
  
  
  
  La idea de la obra puede parecer descorazonadora, pero Chris Abani no empobrece a estas personas, no las trata como inferiores, sino que lo normaliza. 
  
  Porque sí, hay gente que no es todo sonrisas, que no tiene cuerpos de diez ni dinero para comprarse productos de ocio, pero es gente común, gente que llega a su casa exhausta por un largo día de trabajo, gente que besa a su pareja y consigue sentir calidez por primera vez en todo el día, gente que sueña con tener más de lo que tiene, con ser más de lo que es. Gente que trabaja, que se esfuerza, que lucha y sobrevive. Gente que, es cierto, no se ve todos los días, pero tan solo son diferentes de primeras... cuando nos damos cuenta de quiénes son, nos descubrimos a nosotros mismos en ellos.
  
  
  
  Chris Abani no saca lo peor de la humanidad, en eso tengo que contradecir al que hizo esa reseña. El escritor saca lo peor y lo mejor, y también los puntos intermedios. Saca lo que somos. Y punto. 
  
  
  “Circuses are about entertainment and juggling and animals and all that shit. Sideshows are about freaks, about people and the limits of acceptability. We push those limits. If a circus is an escape, Fire said, a sideshow is a confrontation.”
  
  
  
  
  
  El relato, aun así, puede hacerse bastante sórdido, hay personas que no querrán oír de asesinatos, ni de trabajos mal pagados, ni de pasados angustiosos, ni de venganzas que rozan la locura. 
  
  Hay gente a la que no le gustará este libro, porque aquí hay lectores de todo tipo. 
  
  Pero si creéis que es bueno darle una oportunidad, os animo a lanzaros a ello, porque es una lectura de la que uno sale muy cambiado.
  
  
  
  Además, también hay esperanza, también hay buenas relaciones, también hay una batalla constante por la libertad. 
  
  Si en algo destacan los personajes de la novela, es que jamás tiran la toalla, pase lo que pase. 
  
  Pese a estar en un ambiente indeseable, donde día tras día sufren las repercusiones de un mundo que no los considera, cada uno de los personajes intenta mantenerse en su sitio, sin dejarse llevar por la corriente, y vivir como mejor pueda, aunque cueste. 
  
  
  No es un libro bruto, no es un libro que erradica la felicidad, sencillamente es una lectura realista, que tiene partes más oscuras, pero también momentos de mucho resurgir. 
  
  
  Tiene lo que a mí me gusta: una excelente crítica de lo que queda por cambiar en nosotros y en el sistema, y razones para apoyar a una vida que, aunque no perfecta, merece la pena vivir.
  
  
  
  
  Argumento rápido, fácil de seguir, con una trama que abunda en revelaciones, tensión, y mucho ingenio
  
  
  La primera impresión es esa ambientación oscura y retorcida, pero, cuando más me he ido internando en la novela, más he sacado en claro que otro punto muy fuerte de ella es el argumento. 
  
  
  No es una locura de novela, de estas que te sacan por completo de quicio y no las sigues bien. Pese a que tiene contundentes giros en la trama, la totalidad de esta novela es que es fácil de leer, entretiene desde el primer momento, y posee un lenguaje que, aunque elaborado y con personalidad, no es estrafalario ni complejísimo. 
  
  
  
  
  Daisy y Violet Hilton
  
  La estructura de la novela es bastante sencilla, lineal y con pequeños momentos de mirada al pasado. 
  
  Hay cambios en la perspectiva, de manera que conocemos sobre diferentes personajes, pero todo está compaginado para que se entienda la historia sin problemas. 
  
  Además, los capítulos no son largos, la tensión está en todos ellos, y ese aura de pesadumbre y oscuridad hace que sea mucho más interesante tratar de desentrañar los secretos que se esconden entre sus páginas. 
  
  
  
  Asimismo, el argumento es muy rápido, la trama es acelerada y se lee en un santiamén, no hay demasiada acción pero la tensión es constante. 
  
  
  Por otro lado, los giros en la trama están muy explicados, son lógicos y tienen mucho sentido, además de que a mí me quitaron el aire de los pulmones. 
  
  
  La revelación más grande me ha parecido la que concernía a Water y Fire, pero hay otras que también aportan muchísimo a la historia. De hecho, cuando comenzaron a llegar, me fui sintiendo mucho más interesada, porque no hay nada que yo no disfrute más que las sorpresas en los libros, y los quebraderos de cabeza que éstos puedan suponerme. 
  
  
  
  
  Personajes trabajados, agudos y ocurrentes, con mucho genio
  
  
  Lo que menos soporto de una novela, con diferencia, es que haya personajes neutros. Me gusta que se vean sus diferencias, que no sean planos, que tengan muchas capas. Adoro saber de ellos, de sus emociones, de sus sentimientos, de sus sueños y de sus pasiones, y también de sus errores y fracasos. Muchas veces, son los buenos personajes los que llevan la historia, y ese ha sido el caso de ésta. 
  
  
  “Time was the only variable in every equation of power and oppression-how long before the pot boiled over.”
  
  
  
  En concreto, estoy pensando en dos personajes: Water, y Fire. Pese a que haya muchos otros personajes envidiablemente complejos, estos dos se llevan toda mi admiración. 
  
  
  Water y Fire son muy distintos entre ellos:
  
  
  
  
  Water es muy callado, muy silencioso, habla tan solo cuando sabe que tiene algo que aportar, y usualmente tan solo es para comentar frases célebres o datos interesantes de la vida humana. Esto que hace es un mecanismo de defensa, su forma de escudarse y distanciarse del mundo, y es un personaje que se siente bastante desprotegido. 
  
  En cambio, Fire es todo lo contrario. Fire es peculiar, extravagante, diferente y ocurrente, se relaciona a través de burlas y comentarios puntillosos, y siempre quiere tener la razón. Su inteligencia es muy grande, sus mofas llegan en los mejores momentos, y es muy directo con lo que quiere decir, a veces incluso llega a pasarse de la raya. 
  
  
  Los dos han salido adelante completamente juntos, en sentido metafórico y literal, y eso los ha hecho unirse y afrontar los problemas desde la raíz. No obstante, ya voy diciendo que no hay que fiarse de las primeras apariencias, no deseo revelar nada, pero el giro argumental sobre ellos me dejó completamente descolocada. 
  
  Tan solo os puedo aconsejar que leáis el libro desconfiando de todo y todos, es la única manera de darse cuenta de los mínimos detalles que suponen muchos cambios. 
  
  
  
  Otro personaje muy bueno es Sunil. Al ser el protagonista, ha tenido mucho más peso en la historia que los gemelos, cosa que me ha entristecido, porque Water y Fire merecían mucho más protagonismo. 
  
  Pero Sunil también ha sido un personaje muy trabajado, con mucha personalidad, que sufre mucho por el pasado y que es sensible y sabe empatizar. Además, Sunil está muy enfocado en su trabajo, se esfuerza por sacar los mejores resultados, y está empecinado con averiguar la verdad, lo que en un investigador es de las mejores cualidades, aunque eso lo distancie un poco de su vida personal. 
  
  
  
  “Do you think anything ever changes, Salazar asked. That we can make a difference? That we will become a better species? I don’t know, I’m not sure if it even matters. I think all that matters is that we don’t shrink away from the truth and that we keep trying, Sunil said. I like that. Push the stone up the fucking hill because we should.”
  
  
  
  
  Asia ha sido un personaje igualmente bueno, se sabe un poco menos de ella, pero ha acabado teniendo bastante peso en la historia, sabía lo que hacía y con quienes se metía, y su resiliencia me parece muy envidiable.
  
  
  
  Salazar ha sido un personaje muy gracioso, con también mucha personalidad, era activo y tenía las ideas claras, y estaba decidido a averiguar la verdad a cualquier coste. 
  
  
  
  
  
  Luego, hay otros personajes que se añaden al montón, como lo es Eskia, una persona muy singular, y cada uno tiene voz propia, pensamientos propios, y bastante personalidad, estaban bien esquematizados y mucho mejor representados. 
  
  
  Me han parecido muy buenos personajes, lo que era una lástima es que no saliesen tanto Water y Fire, no tanto como a mí me habría gustado, porque eran brillantes.
  
  
  
  
  Prosa ligera, rápida, concisa y crítica
  
  
  Como siempre, un libro no es nada si, a la hora de escribir, no está bien ejecutado. Pero The Secret History of Las Vegas tiene de todo: buena ambientación, buena trama, buenos personajes, y buena prosa. 
  
  
  
  Sin embargo, tengo que decir que me costó un poquito entrar en la historia, principalmente porque los diálogos no estaban precedidos por las comillas, como es habitual encontrarse en un libro de habla inglesa, y eso me hizo tener que acostumbrarme desde cero a un nuevo estilo. Aun así, al final uno se habitúa bastante bien, y la historia es lo suficientemente ágil como para que uno entre enseguida en calor. 
  
  
  
  “I would say it is because the striving and the power keep you from realizing just how helpless you really are. It protects you from facing the fact that others are manipulating you, that regardless of what you might claim, your philosophy is simply a way to rationalize what you do for others too afraid to do their own dirty work; that you are in a way also a victim of the apartheid state.”
  
  
  
  La prosa me ha parecido muy adecuada, muy directa, concisa, y con muchas cosas que decir. 
  
  
  
  
  Los diálogos eran muy divertidos, muy espabilados, toda la personalidad de los personajes estaba puesta en ellos, y hacía más llevadera la historia. 
  
  
  Por otro lado, las descripciones no eran demasiado extensas, se encontraban donde eran necesitadas, pero no se abusaba para nada de ellas. La forma de describir era bastante sencilla, directa y sin problemas, se nota que el escritor se sentía en su terreno y no iba a dejar que nada lo parase para expresar exactamente lo que quería expresar. 
  
  
  
  Narrada en tercera persona del pasado, la historia es fácil de seguir, justo al grano, sin exageraciones ni evasiones, no se andaba por las ramas y sabía cuándo cortar un pensamiento de la manera más natural, para no hacer pesada la lectura. 
  
  
  La prosa era muy ágil, muy llevadera, intercalaba momentos de tensión con otros de mayor pausa con bastante profesionalidad, y me ha parecido que era la merecida para una lectura tan buena como la que me he acabado encontrando. 
  
  
  Sinceramente, poco más puedo decir sin revelar demasiado, creo que este libro debería ser esencial para los amantes del suspense, la extravagancia, y los thrillers que transitan por los terrenos más oscuros de la ciudad. 
  
  
  Una obra muy buena, me ha parecido sensacional.
  
  
  
  
  Conclusión
  
  
  En conclusión, The Secret History of Las Vegas es una novela de la que me esperaba grandes cosas, y que, de hecho, llegó a superar mis expectativas, principalmente por sus impresionantes giros en la trama. 
  
  
  
  Además de tener una ambientación muy de mi estilo, centrándose en los grupos maginados y las personas más poco comunes que puedan haber, el escritor hacía un gran trabajo en dar muchísima humanidad a los personajes, ya sean más buenos o más malos, y en defender la posición de aquellos menos favorecidos, mediante muy buenas críticas y mucho detalle de sus vidas privadas. 
  
  
  
  
  
  La historia tenía mucho tono personal, había emoción en la escritura, tensión y calibre, no se andaba por las ramas y era concisa y directa, siempre daba en el blanco. 
  
  Por otro lado, sus personajes están muy bien dibujados, tienen mucha personalidad y un fuerte carácter, se les cogía aprecio y eran muy interesantes de leer, y sus pasados estaban muy trabajados. Y por si fuera poco, la prosa era muy buena, ligera y ágil, y llevaba la historia sin complicaciones.
  
  
  
  En resumen, una historia con muy buen contenido, excelentemente ejecutada, que aún me sigue dejando pequeños escalofríos al pensar en sus giros en la trama. 
  
  Espectacular.
  
  
  
  
  PUNTUACIÓN
  
  
  ♫ Personajes: 4.75/5
  
  ♫ Acción: 4/5
  
  ♫ Trama: 4/5
  
  ♫ Originalidad: 4.5/5
  ♫ Tensión: 4/5
  
  ♫ Desenlace: 4/5
  
  ♫ Prosa: 4/5
  
  
  VALORACIÓN PERSONAL:  9/10
  
  
  
  Más reseñas aquí en el blog La Llanura de los Mil Mundos: 
  http://lallanuradelosmilmundos.blogsp...
• 
  Amber Williams

  I have very complex emotions about this book. I think it might be easier for me if I bullet point my thoughts about this novel.
  
  - I like how experimental it is. No. I love how experimental it is. I am normally not a fan of literary fiction (for numerous reason) but I adore when authors toy around with what they can pull off. All too often lit fic bores me because, to me, it reads all too similar to the one before it. Perhaps it's because literary fiction takes place in a universe familiar to those who read it. But with The Secret History of Las Vegas it's a world completely unknown to me, and I spend weeks out of the year visiting LV because I have family there. [2 Stars]
  
  -The prose was the driving force that kept me reading through. Abani has a way with words and there are quite a few moments throughout the novel where he strings them together beautifully. Though, there are also plenty of times where the prose came off heavy handed. [1 Star]
  
  -Now, for what I didn't care for. The narrative drags on way too long and finishes way too fast. The only reason I kept reading was because of the prose. But for most of the book I had no idea where the narrative was going- and not in the the "Oh, I can't wait to see what this is leading up to!" way but more the "I am having trouble believing that this is going to pay off" sort of way. The narrative didn't pick up at all until chapter 51 (page 270 of the 319 page book). It could have been so interesting if it had drawn out longer and appeared sooner in the novel. Because it happens so late in the book, there really isn't any time for the idea to unfurl in your mind before it's over and you're ready to move to the next book on you list. I usually like to wait before picking up a new book to let the previous one sink in but once I turned the last page I was just "meh" and put it in the bookself and picked up my next novel to read (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz).
• 
  Charles Dee Mitchell

  Two years before this novel begins, Inspector Salazar had to leave unsolved the serial killing of homeless men in the Las Vegas area. The bodies were found dumped in the Lake Mead area. Abani’s novel opens with Salazar contemplating a fresh pile of corpses and facing the fact that the killer has begun his work again. But this time Salazar has suspects. Fire and Water are conjoined twins who, when arrested for swimming in an off-limit section of the lake, are discovered with a five-gallon drum of human blood in their car.
  
  This dazzling set-up promises an outrageous crime yarn, but on page forty-eight Abani casually inserts what reads like a spoiler but is in fact an announcement that his novel will concern more than the solving of grisly murders. Dr. Sunil Singh is a psychiatrist at a private foundation working on the chemistry of psychopathology. He had helped Salazar with the previous case, and the policeman needs his help, and his diagnosis of the twins as psychopaths, to hold Fire and Water without charging them. Sunil is South African, the son of an Indian father and Zulu mother. Once he enters the narrative, Abani’s story begins to weave its way through decades of South African and American history, incorporating Apartheid, atomic bomb tests, secret government research, and personal stories of violence, torture, and betrayal.
  
  This Nigerian-born author has used the conventions of noir fiction to write an international novel in a distinctly American setting. This brief description of Las Vegas maybe the best I have ever read:
  
  

  Why was it that Vegas had to wring every last gag out of things? Everything here was a pun on a pun, so many times removed that it was not clear what the original joke had been, or if there had even been one in the first place.

  
  
• 
  Robert Intriago

  A difficult book to describe. At first look it is a mystery but as you read on you discover that the author has a social agenda that he wants to convey, so that he jumps back and forth between the mystery and his social agenda. This can be distracting until you understand that Mr. Abani, is trying to make a commentary on the issues that brought him to America from Nigeria.
  
  The book is populated by all kind of strange characters: Siamese twins, midgets, prostitutes, psychopaths, a Cuban-American police detective ready to retire, South African psychiatrist, circus owner and an African assassin. There is the original mystery of bodies washing up by Lake Mead, apartheid in South Africa, a conspiracy by the US Army in the cover-up of the effects of atomic experiments in the Nevada desert, etc, etc. It is a menagerie of themes , but the author does a wonderful job of bringing some sense of it by the time the book finishes.
  
  It is a well written book with lots of interesting factoids and insights into what South Africa was before integration. It does require a little bit of patience at the beginning until you figure what the writer is trying to accomplish.
• 
  Devon

  Chris Abani is the sort of person who enters a room and the temperature goes up about ten degrees. He's like a lion-- he has a very commanding presence both in person and on the page. I was not expecting to be so drawn into a mystery like this one. The book has an incredibly convincing plot played out by unforgettable characters with deeply disturbing back-stories. Some dark stuff. And some light stuff. Who else could convince me of conjoined twins as murder suspects, a motley crew of freakish young sex workers, a psychopathy specialist with a complicated past and some serious reckoning to do? This would make a very good mini-series. A perfect read for late October. Made me wonder what really goes on in (what appears to be) normal, every day life behind closed doors or outside city limits. What does happen to homeless people and prostitutes who go missing? And how easily their disappearances go unnoticed?
  
  A tip: before beginning the book, find a Chris Abani TED Talk to watch first so you get a good listen to his beautiful accent and voice, then you can hear him tell you the story as you read.
• 
  Mehreen

  I picked up this book randomly in my quest to read all of the books in the library. I couldn't tell if it was fiction or nonfiction at first but I quickly realized it was definitely fiction. I couldn't really get into this book, the characters were all so awful! The cop who is determined to pin these murders on the freaky twins he finds in the lake because he has already made up his mind, meanwhile, it turns out the doctor he asks for help is actually responsible. The fact that Sunil could do such reprehensible things in the name of science felt very Hitler-esque.
  
  I was confused by the end because while I thought it was wrapped up rather brilliantly, I still have no idea who was murdering the freaky children. The ending alone earned it another star because I was rather unimpressed most of the way through and trudged along just to see what would happen, but it seemed like Fire & Water plotted all along to be captured and that stupid Institute certainly got what it deserved. Asia's story seemed a bit unnecessary. All in all not a book I enjoyed reading or would recommend, but it did somewhat redeem itself.
• 
  David Anderson

  What an outrageous blend of political thriller/mystery/noir/horror/revenge fantasy! Every well-developed character has a dark past: Salazar, the Cuban-American detective striving to close the book on a case involving the mass murders of homeless men before he retires; half Zulu, half Indian Sunil Singh, psychiatric researcher investigating the possibility of controlled psychopathy for a government funded research center who also has a dark past in apartheid South Africa; Eskia, operative for the South African Secret Police out to inflict some personal revenge on Singh; and most of all, the conjoined twins, Fire and Water, suspected by Salazar in his murder case, and their cohort in the freak show, Carnival of Lost Souls, which is really a cover for the Downwinder Nation, victims of nuclear weapons testing who have banded together to sabotage DOD research programs. And many more intriguing side characters! You won't want to put this down!