An Opportunity

A man attempts to break free from a debilitating spell in this “hallucinogenic, loving, intelligent” (Cynthia Rimsky) novel.

From acclaimed author Pablo Katchadjian, one of Latin America’s most original voices, and masterfully translated by Heather Cleary, An Opportunity is a mesmerizing search for life’s elusive purpose.


Our unnamed narrator—undisciplined and self-reflective, brilliant and oblivious—has finally come to a conclusion: He is under a spell that has rendered him exquisitely indecisive. Mildly haunted and pleasantly tipsy, he gathers the phone numbers of three witches, hopeful at least one will be able to help him: The first is old-fashioned, the second is modern, and the third has her own way of doing things. But there’s a problem. Which witch should he call?


Having spent enough of his time, money, and dignity on witches, our narrator embarks on a series of increasingly outlandish adventures in his attempts to break his curse and outrun his supposed monstrous stowaway—from a stint in prison, where he is interrogated by a secret literary police force, to a gig reporting from the frontlines of a far-flung war. At each turn, he patiently reconstructs his struggles to sort through his experience, seeking meaning that eludes him, until what began as a cautionary supernatural tale ultimately spins into a profound and hallucinatory quest to understand the very act of storytelling.

Praise for Pablo Katchadjian


“There are books that are brilliant, defiant, and existential, but also ruthlessly fun, and almost all of those are Pablo Katchadjian’s.” —Samanta Schweblin, author of Fever Dream


“I enjoy his work like crazy.” —Alejandro Zambra, author of Chilean Poet


“An incredible author. I do well in copying him.” —César Aira, author of Ghosts


“Pablo Katchadjian blows up any type of reading we’re used to and turns us into listeners sitting around a fire.” —Munir Hachemi, author of The Mulai