by Mal Peet. Candlewick Press, c. 2009, 430 pages.This is a modern spin on the tragedy of Shakespeare’s Othello and set in South America. Otello is a black soccer star recently traded to the country’s racist south. He falls in love and marries quickly Desmerelda, the country’s striking white pop star (and daughter of a powerful and conservative politician). The glare of the paparazzi‘s cameras can be blinding and enemies can appear to be one’s confidantes and friends.
Young Adult fiction. The story is divided into five acts. Knowledge of Shakespeare’s Othello is not a necessity but allows for comparison of the texts and a contemporary examination of the original by younger readers. There is sympathy for Otello and for the life of a celebrity but this is not a celebrity-worship story. There is racism, poverty and murder. There is grittiness. There are distinct lines between wealth and poverty in this unnamed South American country and the distinction is a huge divide.
Recurring character of Paul Faustino (a sports writer) in two other Peet books.
Winner of 2009 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize the only award judged by Children’s authors (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/guardianchildrensfictionprize ) and A Junior Library Guild Selection (http://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/)
