The Interior Circuit

Starred review from May 5, 2014
In this exquisite chronicle, novelist and journalist Goldman (Say Her Name) takes readers into the heart of Mexico City, showcasing its vibrant complexity and grit. Grieving for his young wife Aura’s death five years earlier, Goldman explores his relationship with her native city against the backdrop of its changing leadership—a result of the 2012 presidential elections that restored the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) to power after a 12-year absence. As Goldman notes, the Districto Federal (D.F.), as Mexico City is commonly known, mainly avoided the “catastrophe of the murderous narco war” because of the progressive leadership of mayors from the left-leaning opposing party, the PRD. Now with the PRI—and its ominous ties to the drug cartels—back in power, not even the D.F. seems immune to kidnappings and escalating violence. A perceptive, funny, and philosophical narrator, Goldman investigates the kidnappings of 12 youths in broad daylight; traces the evolution of a student movement, #YoSoy132, formed to protest the candidacy—and eventual election—of presidential candidate Peña Nieto; overcomes his fear of driving in a megacity of 22 million; and ponders the differences between Mexico and the U.S. in their approaches to culture, friendship, and grief. Throughout this remarkable book, Goldman is highly attuned to the pulse and rhythm of one of the world’s most captivating cities. Agency: ICM.

November 1, 2014

With the fifth anniversary of his wife's death approaching, the critically acclaimed writer is eager to reassert control over his life and determinedly embarks on a "driving project," exploring the roundabouts and neighborhoods of his adopted home, Mexico City. Goldman describes variegated landscapes, revisits sacred memories, depicts tender street scenes, and provides insightful reports on a host of topics, from futbol and student movements to Tepito crime rackets. (LJ 9/15/14)

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
In his most critically acclaimed novel, Say Her Name (2011), Goldman memorializes the tragic death of his wife. Five years after the event, he embarks on a new phase of mourning and recovery by learning to navigate the notoriously tricky avenues and boulevards of his adopted home, Mexico City's Distrito Federal (Federal District). From his first encounter with a driving instructor to late-night escapades aboard a party bus, Goldman renders the urban landscape of the D.F. with journalistic precision, blending humorous anecdotes and tender remembrance. Fully embracing his newfound Chilango (slang for residents of Mexico City) identity, Goldman documents the multifaceted city's volatile political climate and underground economy, reporting on both the nonviolent protests of student movements like Yo Soy 132 and the looming omnipresence of ultraviolent narco cartels. A master of leveraging brute fact with personal reflection, Goldman humanizes crime statistics with firsthand accounts of close calls with kidnappers, while excerpts from interviews with former mayor Marcelo Ebrard share the page with Goldman's erudite internal monologue. An insightful, kaleidoscopic addition to the literature of Mexico City's evolving mythos.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)