Renaldo

the long version

James McCreath's thrilling novel Renaldo tells the saga of three generations of the De Seta family of Buenos Aires. From the sweeping plains of the Pampas in 1898 to the corridors of power in the modern day capital, the story ultimately focuses on young soccer prodigy Renaldo De Seta as he strives to make Argentina's 1978 World Cup team. As a result of saving the life of a wealthy lawyer, Renaldo is brought into the web of intrigue spun by this Astor Gordero, the most influential man in Argentina. Through Gordero he meets the woman of his dreams, the nation’s reining pop diva, Simone Yvonne Montanna Carta Aqua, the seemingly unreachable Symca. At the same time, Renaldo's older brother Lonfranco has also come under an erotic spell though one with less worthy intent, a Montonero terrorist posing as a university tutorial instructor. The entire De Seta clan suffers and triumphs in this meticulously researched work of historical fiction. It’s a novel that resonates with the real-world politics of the country and the real-life faith, hope and passion of its author’s fateful life.