The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez - 3 stars (BWF)

[Joy D]

The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez - 3* - My Review

This book is about a man suffering from PTSD after he is shot while walking on the street with a new acquaintance. It is set in Colombia and focuses on the period during and after the “reign” of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Antonio meets Ricardo in a pool hall, and does not know much about him, except that he has recently been released from prison. Antonio’s life is changed drastically after the shooting. Eventually, Ricardo’s daughter travels to Colombia to find out what happened to her father. She gets involved with Antonio and they attempt to put the pieces together. It is nicely written (and translated) at the prose level but the “big revelation” is rather obvious from early on. I was not prepared to read about multiple plane crashes, nor the numerous affairs of the protagonist. That said, it was not a bad experience, just not anything I can give more than 3 stars.

PBT October BWF Extra V and tagged "travel" x7