In an unnamed Latin American country, a former president is about to be interviewed by yet another foreign journalist. Though he has been out of office for a while, his journey from protesting the previous regime and spending years in prison before becoming president is inspirational to people everywhere.
At 82, the president spends most of his time in the garden enjoying the quiet. He is a little surprised and resigned that he is still getting requests for interviews. Always when they come, they exclaim at the size of his small home and then move outside to film the interviews.
And each time, the president considers telling them about the frog that came to taunt and encourage him to talk - keeping him from going insane while he remained in a hole in the ground with no human contact. A frog that may well have been a figment of his imagination.
Filled with humor and the strength of the human spirit, The President and the Frog is a philosophical novel about survival for the greater good. Told in flashbacks and present day, this is a wonderful book that everyone should read. It reminds me of my other favorite recent read: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. Both capture the best of what it can mean to be human. Buy them both today from your local, independent bookstore.
de Robertis, Carolina. (2021). The President and the Frog. New York: Alfred A Knopf.
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