Feedback 28th January 2008

The Forty Third War takes place in the Central American country of Guatemala. Many Spanish words are spoken in the story, which broadly pinpoints that it is set in Central America. In the story, the volcano Atlcatl is mentioned frequently, and the country has many volcanoes that erupt periodically(CIA Factbook). Another clue we had was that the country was politically unstable. On researching we found that Guatemala has had many revolutions too, just like the country in the book. One of the main exports was bananas, and Uno's job whilst in the village was packing bananas onto a ship. Lastly, at the end of the story, Ignacio says that he shall cross into Mexico and then go on into the U.S. Guatemala is one of two countries that borders Mexico, but Belize has had political stability for many years(pg. 85, Collins). All this evidence combined tells us that the story was based in Guatemala.

We think that the author might not have given an absolute location for fear of retribution. Child soldiers are a sensitive subject and the use of them is usually denied by the government accused. The story portrays the revolutionary side, and does not say any positive thing for the government. If the absolute location was stated, the readers might jump to a conclusion and think that the scenario was real, and that the story was non-fiction.


"Guatemala." Collins Nations of the World Atlas. 1996.
"Guatemala." CIA World Factbook. 28 Jan. 2008 .