As they did for earlier Halfon books, translators Dillman and Hahn effectively render his fourth work to appear in English. Although the narrative likewise relies heavily on autobiography and treats similar themes, like Jewish identity, the end result creates less of an impact on readers than do Halfon’s 2008 The Polish Boxer or his 2018 Mourning.
Named one of the best young Latin American writers by the Hay Festival of Bogotá, Halfon debuted here with The Polish Boxer, whose protagonist—a secular Guatemalan Jew named Eduardo—returns in this well-modulated new work...