In the Shade of a Indian Laurel

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Literature · Subcategory: Literary fragments · Year: 2024 · Authors: Jesús Nadador

The writer from Guadalajara, Jesús Nadador, set his first novel In the Shade of a Indian Laurel in Tenerife. The nature and landscape of Santa Cruz play a significant role in the story and are the settings where the central character’s action unfolds: Don Mariano. This retired judge leads an unhappy life in Zaragoza and must move to the Islands when he receives news that his son has been found murdered in a dark area of La Granja park in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which the author describes in a first impression as follows:

“The park was of considerable size. It occupied a hollow linking two very different heights of the city, which it bridged with winding walks and paths, dotted with large trees with leafy canopies. The paths were dirt and separated from the gardens by large porous stone blocks. Behind them, the grass grew fiercely, barely contained by the daily work of the municipal gardeners, and cushioned extensive meadows over which the ripe fruits of majestic trees fell. The park was an exception in that chaotic universe of clustered houses that was Santa Cruz.”

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