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A whole town knows a murder is going to happen, and no one stops it
1981Fast paceDark
What it is about
A narrator returns to his hometown to reconstruct the murder of Santiago Nasar, which took place years earlier. Everyone knew that two brothers planned to kill him, yet the crime still happened. The short novel explores guilt, honor and community.
Who will enjoy it
Readers who want a short book by a Nobel winner.
What you will get
A compact and powerful novella. It was first published in Spanish in 1981.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Literary Fiction · Murder · Honor · Small town
Length
120 pages · ≈ 3 h
More about this book
Characters
Santiago Nasar, the Vicario brothers and the narrator.
Setting
A Colombian town, on the day of a bishop’s visit.
What makes it different
The ending is announced from the first line, and the tension comes from how it happens.
Feel
Cool, haunting and poetic.
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