A Scarcity of Condors by Suanne Laqueur Series: Venery #3
Published by Self Published on 12/16/19
Genres: LGBT Literary Fiction
Pages: 446
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Juleón "Jude" Tholet has survival in his DNA. His father, Cleón, lived through imprisonment and torture during Pinochet's military coup in Chile. His mother, Penny, risked everything to gain her husband's freedom and flee the country with their newborn son. But as a closeted gay teenager growing up in Vancouver, Jude is targeted by a neighborhood bully called El Cóndor, culminating in a vicious hate crime that forces the Tholets to flee their country again.
Jude cautiously rebuilds his life in Seattle, becoming an accomplished pianist, but his his wings have been clipped and he cannot seem to soar in his relationships. Only family remains a constant source of strength and joy, until a DNA test reveals something that shocks all the Tholets: Jude is not their child.
Stunned by the test results, the Tholets must dig into their painful past, re-examine their lives in 1973 Santiago and the events surrounding Jude's birth story. It’s a tale rooted in South America’s Operation Condor. It spreads through Pinochet’s terrifying regime of detention camps, torture, disappeared civilians and stolen children. The journey forces Penny Tholet to confront the gaps in her memory while Cleón must re-live an ordeal he’s long kept hidden away in a secret world. The tale ends with Jude digging through his genetic code in a quest to find his biological parents. Are they alive? Or are they among Los Desaparecidos—the Disappeared Ones?
Suanne Laqueur’s third book in the Venery series explores the desperate acts of love made in times of war, and the many ways family can be defined.
Few, if any, series have moved me the way Suanne Laqueur’s Venery series has. Truly, this exceptional series has haunted me, scarred me, gripped me, stayed with me long after finishing each book. And this third installment, A Scarcity of Condors, shifted and scrambled around the parts of my soul once more with the harrowing story of Jude Tholet, a Chilean born gay man whose entire identity is placed into question with one vial of spit.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post also contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using the links below, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
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Jessica’s Review
Few, if any, series have moved me the way Suanne Laqueur’s Venery series has. Truly, this exceptional series has haunted me, scarred me, gripped me, stayed with me long after finishing each book. And this third installment, A Scarcity of Condors, shifted and scrambled around the parts of my soul once more with the harrowing story of Jude Tholet, a Chilean born gay man whose entire identity is placed into question with one vial of spit.
The historical accuracy Laqueur weaves through her stories will haunt me for all of my days. The atrocities these characters endure, truths all too real yet fictionalized for story’s sake, will live in my nightmares indefinitely. This story brutally illustrates the absolute worst of humanity while exquisitely depicting it’s resilience. This is a story of hope and love, healing and human connection. It’s horribly demonstrative of the damage that will likely never heal completely, a brilliant collage of the scars reminding the most UNFORGETTABLY CAPTIVATING characters of what they’ve survived. It’s a story of what truly makes a family, a masterfully crafted gnarled tree with tenuous branches but unwavering roots, an evocative illustration of familial bonds that have little to do with blood and everything to do with loyalty and fierce, unconditional love.
This series is one EVERYONE must read. I am the most staunch proponent of books that change the way I look at the world and this series, this book, educated me, enlightened me, tormented me, inspired me, captivated me, uplifted me, destroyed me, changed me, COMPLETELY BLEW ME AWAY. A Scarcity of Condors obliterated my heart and I will never, ever forget it even in the moments where I’d prefer to take it off and hang it up for a while. Laqueur’s inimitable storytelling, her aggressive commitment to sharing the stories of those robbed of the opportunity to do so, her characters, her unparalleled skill in tethering her reader to a story, to characters, to every nuance of their experiences… it’s like nothing else. A Scarcity of Condors is easily one of the greatest stories I’ve ever read, a stellar addition to one of the most searing series I’ve ever endured. I can not recommend this story enough.
About the Author
A former professional dancer and teacher, Suanne Laqueur went from choreographing music to choreographing words. Her work has been described as “Therapy Fiction,” “Emotionally Intelligent Romance” and “Contemporary Train Wreck.”
Laqueur’s novel An Exaltation of Larks was the Grand Prize winner in the 2017 Writer’s Digest Awards. Her debut novel The Man I Love won a gold medal in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and was named Best Debut in the Feathered Quill Book Awards. Her follow-up novel, Give Me Your Answer True, was also a gold medal winner at the 2016 RFBA.
Laqueur graduated from Alfred University with a double major in dance and theater. She taught at the Carol Bierman School of Ballet Arts in Croton-on-Hudson for ten years. An avid reader, cook and gardener, she started her blog EatsReadsThinks in 2010.
Suanne lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband and two children.
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Series Reading Order:
This is a series of standalones. However, I recommend reading in order.
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