"In this collection of short stories, the Guatemalan writer Rey Rosa, one of the most highly touted fiction writers of his generation, textualizes in fascinating fashion the cultural constraints that most effect him. Most of the nine stories take place in Manhattan. Particularly attractive, and not only because of its epistolary/essay hybrid, is 'Negocio para el milenio,' which is the author's wry response to the phenomenal success of a private prison enterprise. Guatemala seems to be a distant memory, briefer pieces such as 'El Chef,' 'Vídeo,' and 'Coincidencia' accurately capture the metropolitan ambience, even though the author's view of urban violence is frequently clichéd"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.