A truly intense book. It tells the story (in some sense) of the last day of the life of an alcoholic British Consul in Cuernavaca (which is renamed Cuahtemoc in the novel): his drinking, hallucinations, memories, relationships with the people around him, and death, all in an intricate, confusing style. It's very interesting not to say dense, and is somewhat more clear/meaningful on second reading, which is definitely worth the effort. Lowry also has an introduction here (I assume in this version of the book) where he explains all the plot in terms of the Kabbala, which is fun, though the book is fascinating enough without it. Try it out.