The Reef

Amidst stagingsof guerilla warfare, rumors of killer bees and encroaching cartel activity,recovering ex-rocker, Tony Góngora, attempts to solve the mystery of anAmerican scuba-diver’s murder. As he tries to piece together the events of thecrime, Tony uncovers his own bizarre and illuminating memories: of a fatherlesschildhood spent in the high-risk company of his eccentric friend and thehotel’s manager; playing gigs with The Velvet Underground; joining a Japanesepop group. Against the backdrop of a deteriorating climate, a fast-erodingbeachfront, official corruption, cartel violence, and delusional Westernescapism, Tony and an international cast of hotel staffers make and breakalliances as the personal begins to echo the political, and artifice andreality start to blur. With his signature wit, originality, and dashes ofdazzling social theory, Villoro has created a biting satire of tourism and abrilliant analogy for Mexico’s unique position in global politics.