First published 2018
A photographer stumbles upon knowledge that shatters her peace of mind. A Korean War veteran faces memories he buried when what seemed like a harmless meeting forces him to confront his past. A writer hunting through internet archives finds an 1887 book that leads him into the captivating story of a forgotten woman. These characters inhabit a world where violence touches everyone, sometimes directly, sometimes from the edges. Their lives pivot on chance meetings and forces beyond their control. Juan Gabriel Vásquez returns to short fiction after seventeen years with stories that examine how ordinary people navigate extraordinary disruptions. Each tale follows men and women whose carefully constructed lives unravel when the past refuses to stay buried or when strangers arrive bearing unwelcome gifts of knowledge.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: past-haunts-present, unreliable-narrator
Period: 1887, Korean War
268 pages · Paperback · Alfaguara
Content warnings: violence