An author is lured into a serpentine conspiracy theory in Juan Gabriel Vásquez’s gripping tale of intrigue and assassination in Colombia. Translated by Anne McLean.

In a blend of fiction, historical narrative and autobiography, Juan Gabriel Vásquez explores how dark moments from a country’s past resonate in the present. The author initially refuses to be drawn into a conspiracy theory about the 1948 murder of the popular politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán.  But when Gaitán’s vertebrae, stored in a glass jar in a friend’s house, go missing, Vásquez feels compelled to investigate. So begins a chain of events that uncovers a second, even darker conspiracy.

Shortlisted
The Man Booker International Prize 2019
Published by
MacLehose Press
Publication date

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Juan Gabriel Vásquez

Juan Gabriel Vásquez

About the Author

Juan Gabriel Vásquez was born in Bogotá, Colombia, in January 1973.
More about Juan Gabriel Vásquez

Anne McLean

About the Translator

Anne McLean was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in November 1962.
More about Anne McLean