It Would Be Night in Caracas
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- 6,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
An urgent literary phenomenon sold in over 22 languages before publication, a gripping tale of one woman’s desperate battle to survive the dangerous, sometimes deadly, turbulence of modern Venezuela.
In Caracas, Venezuela, Adelaida Falcon stands over an open grave. Alone, except for harried undertakers, she buries her mother – the only family Adelaida has ever known.
Numb with grief, Adelaida returns to the apartment they shared. Outside her window tear gas rains down on protesters in the streets. When looters masquerading as revolutionaries take over her apartment, Adelaida resists and is beaten up. This marks the beginning of a fight for survival in a country that has disintegrated into violence and anarchy, where citizens are increasingly pitted against each other.
From a powerful, new voice, It Would Be Night in Caracas is a chilling reminder of how quickly the world we know can crumble.
Reviews
‘There is, in Sainz Borgo’s evocative, nightmarish descriptions, echoes of the dystopian world of The Handmaid’s Tale…this is a worthy and timely novel that will appeal to readers who want to learn more about a very troubled country’ Irish Times
‘This is her first work of fiction, although the parallels between the lives of author and character lend an air of autobiographical truth to this powerful and disturbing story’ TRIPFICTION.COM
‘A gripping novel about a young woman raised in a prosperous Venezuela who must now contend with a disintegrating country where she waits in bread lines every day and is unable to protect her apartment from looters’ New York Post
‘A lyrical and intense exploration of grief, loss and survival, this is an extraordinary debut full of rich language that lingers in the mind’ Buzz Magazine
‘Borgo’s writing is visceral and vivid, her narrative gripping. Her novel effectively humanises the horrors taking place on the streets of Caracas through the story of one woman…Publishers’ lists are full of dystopian fiction, often depicting post-apocalyptic events, but if you want to see what a real dystopia looks like, this is it. In the here and now’ Life in Books
‘The next literary sensation’ El Mundo
‘This novel comes from the future’ La Vanguardia
About the author
Karina Sainz Borgo was born and raised in Caracas. She began her career in Venezuela as a journalist for El Nacional. Since immigrating to Spain ten years ago, she has written for Vozpópuli and collaborates with the literary magazine Zenda. She is the author of two narative non fiction books, Tráfico y Guaire (2008) and Caracas Hip-Hop (2008). It Would Be Night in Caracas is her first work of fiction.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sainz Borgo's excellent debut is a harrowing account of one woman grieving the recent death of her mother while attempting to survive the political unrest in Caracas, Venezuela. Adelaida buries her namesake after having drained their savings buying medicine on the black market. Ana, Adelaida's closest friend, fears the worst has befallen her missing brother, Santiago, after the Sons of the Revolution arrest him. When Adelaida's apartment is taken over by thugs, she discovers her neighbor Aurora dead in the apartment next door. During an attempt to dispose of her body, she encounters Santiago, who appears to have joined the group that kidnapped him. Though she doesn't fully trust him, they take shelter in Aurora's apartment, where Adelaida finds troves of meticulously kept documents that will help her impersonate Aurora and escape Venezuela. The novel alternates scenes of present-day chaos with Adelaida's memories of her loving mother, and Sainz Borgo infuses both sections with heartbreaking details that stay with the reader: the squeal of a pet turtle as it's boiled to death, heirloom plates smashed with malice. She does a fantastic job of showcasing Adelaida's personal despair within the greater agony of the country. Readers will appreciate how Sainz Borgo puts a human face on the tragedy of Venezuela's upheaval.
