"Drama and Diplomacy" may be an autobiographical work, and Jenny McGill plays a prominent part, but readers will also catch a glimpse of the Queen of England, dirty old men, derelicts, destitutes, power-hungry policemen, "bureaucraps," teachers and ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And, of course, there is Puerto Vallarta of the 70s, 80s and 90s – sweaty, rainy, caught between civilization and chaos (mostly chaos), mysterious, adventurous and full of possibilities.

For many of us living in the Guadalajara area, years may have passed since Puerto Vallarta held quirky small-town Mexican charm. Jenny McGill's "Drama and Diplomacy," an autobiographical work about her years as consular agent in the nascent beach resort, could help a few cynics see it (or at least its past) from a fresh perspective. Fortunately, it's also a perspective riddled with a healthy dose of humor.

McGill was appointed consular agent by the U.S. State Department in 1982 and spent the next 14 years in that position. By that time, however, she was already a seasoned Vallartense: she moved to Puerto Vallarta with her husband Howard in 1973 after frequenting the beach town for several years. That's a lot of insider expertise of the lesser-known formative years of one of Mexico's biggest resorts. McGill wields it well, painting a sympathetic, nostalgic portrait of Puerto Vallarta as it will never be again. The added bonus: a whole lot of juicy, zany gossip on some of the strangest gringos in the city's history.

Some say that you can't put down a good book. "Drama and Diplomacy" has something different in mind: short, readable vignettes, clearly separated, welcoming a bookmark until the next peaceful interlude and the next drink in the garden or on the couch. There are relatively few transitions, though stories are loosely bound by chapter themes. This is probably for the best: attempting to link the diverging timelines and disparate denizens of McGill's Puerto Vallarta would make for a daunting task even for true soap opera or historical saga fans.

Although there are a few spelling and punctuation mistakes, these are happily unobtrusive and infrequent and will only deeply offend the true sticklers. The tales (which the author swears are all true) are amusing enough to entertain anyone new to the Vallarta scene, but will probably leave many old-timers cackling with laughter, rolling on the ground and clutching their stomach.

McGill wisely lets the stories speak for themselves. Readers will find no melodrama and the author is not prone to waxing poetically. Her writing style leads to some excellent dry-humored one-liners, which almost always creep up on the unsuspecting audience. Not to say that it's all fun and games – McGill records a fair share of tragedies with the same straightforwardness she reserves for the consulate's most side-splitting tales of mayhem. The book itself is quite perfect for the oral tradition: short, tight and sparingly told without losing any of the details of events.

The details, incidentally, are amazingly ... detailed. McGill names many characters explicitly, shields a few others and makes it possible to identify most of the city's original landmarks. Old-timers will know the names immediately, newcomers will be armed with enough information to search them out. This may be one of the most readable personal accounts of the mysterious and "glamorous" work of consular agents abroad.

"Drama and Diplomacy" may be an autobiographical work, and Jenny McGill plays a prominent part, but readers will also catch a glimpse of the Queen of England, dirty old men, derelicts, destitutes, power-hungry policemen, "bureaucraps," teachers and ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And, of course, there is Puerto Vallarta of the 70s, 80s and 90s – sweaty, rainy, caught between civilization and chaos (mostly chaos), mysterious, adventurous and full of possibilities.

Drama and Diplomacy is available through several Puerto Vallarta bookstores. In Guadalajara, your best bet is to contact the author through her website: www.MJMcGill.com. 200 pesos. McGill will also attend the July 8 Independence Day bash at the American Legion Post Three in Guadalajara. She will be signing books and raffling off several copies.

This article was originally published here: guadalajarareporter.com/content/view/1025/53/

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