A taut new novel by the award-winning author of The Sound of Things Falling - 'one of the most original voices of Latin American literature', Mario Vargas Llosa 'An affecting, carefully paced work of psychological realism' Times Literary Supplement As Colombia's famed political cartoonist, Javier Mallarino, strolls through downtown Bogotá before a public celebration of his career in the grand Teatro Colón, he contemplates the start of his professional life; how he set down his oils and took up a pen to begin drawing caricatures for a living. But the celebration has far-reaching consequences: as he leaves the theatre a figure from his past, now a young woman, emerges from the crowd and forces Mallarino to confront an incident that took place in his home half a lifetime ago, calling into question his reputation and the value of his life's work. This is a powerfully written novella and Vásquez's prose, as always, has a stark elegance that lends it weight