SOURCE: "Safe in the Hands of the Uncanny," in New York Times Book Review, April 8, 1990, p. 15.

In the following review of Constancia and Other Stories for Virgins, Donoghue notes Fuentes's ability to present bizarre, extraordinary elements in his fiction in a manner that is "at once objective and arbitrary."

The long short story is a form of fiction Carlos Fuentes cherishes, and here we have five new instances of the genre: "Constancia," "La Desdichada," "The Prisoner of Las Lomas," "Viva Mi Fama" and "Reasonable People." Each of them is bizarre, a tale lingered over by the teller to the point at which, if he were to stay with it a moment longer, he would have to explain everything, and ruin it. Nothing is explained. We may interpret each story as we choose, but we cannot call on the teller to endorse our choice.

Mr. Fuentes has shown himself...