They Forged the Signature of God

"Viriato Sención's They Forged the Signature of God is, simply put, the most important novel to come out of the Dominican Republic in decades. A fabulous sancocho (stew) of realism and allegory, gallows humor and terror, sexuality and religious fanaticism, this thinly disguised historical novel ranks alongside García Márquez's The Autumn of the Patriarch as a portrait of political power gone awry." —David Unger, CCNY

"Its moving account of the experiences of three young seminarians whose lives are circumscribed by a volatile and dangerous church and country exfoliates skillfully to reveal a wide social panorama composed of sharply drawn individuals, and also makes ingenious (and often hilarious) connections between sexual potency and the urge toward freedom. It's a very accomplished novel." —Kirkus Review

"...deserves multiple readings, and with its absorbing political perversions, saga-like sprawl, and supreme regard for each literary work as an examination of art itself, it should gain canonical status." —B.L. Lewis, Choice