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3.5 

The Shape of the Ruins

By Juan Gabriel Vasquez & Anne McLean
The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vasquez & Anne McLean digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE

A sweeping tale of conspiracy theories, assassinations, and twisted obsessions -- the much anticipated masterpiece from Juan Gabriel Vásquez.


The Shape of the Ruins is a masterly story of conspiracy, political obsession, and literary investigation. When a man is arrested at a museum for attempting to steal the bullet-ridden suit of a murdered Colombian politician, few notice. But soon this thwarted theft takes on greater meaning as it becomes a thread in a widening web of popular fixations with conspiracy theories, assassinations, and historical secrets; and it haunts those who feel that only they know the real truth behind these killings.

This novel explores the darkest moments of a country's past and brings to life the ways in which past violence shapes our present lives. A compulsive read, beautiful and profound, eerily relevant to our times and deeply personal, The Shape of the Ruins is a tour-de-force story by a master at uncovering the incisive wounds of our memories.

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30 Reviews

3.5
“The description of the political environment following Gaitan's murder and general Bogotá is great. The final half about Rafael Uribe Uribe written with the most stingy reserve of line breaks was nearly impossible to bear (for me) As I read more Colombian fiction, I've realized that I really dislike reading Colombian fiction. The first half is always great, but at the halfway point, it always becomes a chore to read. (Read on the way through Salento as well as Bogotá. Walking around Parque Bolivar with this book (digitally) in hand is quite the experience. It would've been 5 stars for me if not for the rambling diatribes in the Uribe Uribe section)”

About Juan Gabriel Vasquez

Juan Gabriel Vásquez’s previous books include the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award winner and national bestseller The Sound of Things Falling, as well as the award-winning Reputations, The InformersThe Secret History of Costaguana, and the story collection Lovers on All Saints' Day. Vásquez’s novels have been published in twenty-eight languages worldwide. After sixteen years in France, Belgium, and Spain, he now lives in Bogotá.

Anne McLean translates Latin American and Spanish novels, short stories, memoirs, and other writings. She has twice won both the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and the Premio Valle Inclán, and received the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award with Juan Gabriel Vásquez for his novel The Sound of Things Falling. She lives in Toronto.

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