The Shape of the Ruins: A Novel

Authors: Vasquez, Juan Gabriel
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
BISAC/Subject: FIC014000, FIC019000, FIC037000
ISBN: 9780735211162, Related ISBNs: 052564055X, 0525640568, 0735211140, 0735211159, 0735211167
Classification: Fiction
Number of pages: 528,
Audience: General/trade
Synopsis: 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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