by Héctor Tobar
First published 1998
Antonio Bernal fled Guatemala after witnessing unspeakable violence. Now he struggles to survive in Los Angeles, working odd jobs and living in crowded apartments. His world collides with that of Guillermo Longorio, another Guatemalan immigrant whose past connects to Antonio's trauma in ways neither man initially realizes. Their shared homeland left both men scarred, but in different ways. As their lives become entangled in the sprawling city, the weight of what happened in Guatemala follows them. Antonio carries the pain of loss while Longorio bears different burdens from the same conflict. The streets of Los Angeles become a stage where old wounds refuse to heal and the past demands a reckoning. Both men must confront what they left behind and what they brought with them to America.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, past-haunts-present
Setting: Guatemala, Los Angeles
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
307 pages · Hardcover · Delphinium
Content warnings: violence