A poignant weave of two tragedies in Gabriela Ybarra’s life, the public death of her grandfather and the private pain of caring for her dying mother. Translated by Natasha Wimmer.

In 1977, three terrorists broke into Gabriela Ybarra’s grandfather’s home and pointed a gun at him in the shower. This was the last time his family saw him alive, and his kidnapping played out in the press, culminating in his murder. Ybarra first heard the story when she was eight, but it was only after her mother’s death, years later, that she felt the need to go deeper and discover more about her family’s past. The Dinner Guest is a novel inspired by what she found.

Longlisted
The Man Booker International Prize 2018
Published by
Harvill Secker
Publication date
Gabriela Ybarra

Gabriela Ybarra

About the Author

Gabriela Ybarra was born in Bilbao, Spain, in 1983.
More about Gabriela Ybarra

Natasha Wimmer

About the Translator

Natasha Wimmer was born in Iowa, USA, in 1973.
More about Natasha Wimmer