Tono the Infallible
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- £7.49
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- £7.49
Publisher Description
An unforgettable yet humane novel that takes us into the heart of Colombia’s brutal society, by one of the country’s most renowned writers
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 PEN TRANSLATION PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 QUEEN SOFIA SPANISH INSTITUTE TRANSLATION PRIZE
I was alone when someone pounded on my door. Who could it be?
So begins Toño the Infallible, Evelio Rosero’s gripping novel about an intense relationship between a writer and a sociopath. Visited by his friend (a kind of Colombian Rasputin) seemingly at the verge of death, the writer, Eri, looks back on the arc of both of their lives. Unique in both its tone and its structure, the novel takes us from their student days (school fights, playground revelations, and an unforgettable trip to the seaside) into their adult years, involving rumors of a hippie cult and a bizarre raucous theater exhibit of history’s most violent crimes. Toño uses his charm and wealth—as well as reputed magical powers—to manipulate others, but it isn’t until the end of the book that the devastating truth is revealed—and how true is it? Reminiscent of the fiction of Roberto Bolaño and the films of Alfonso Cuarón, this brilliant novel takes us into the heart of his country’s darkness, creating an unforgettable portrait of a society where humanity still endures, despite its brutality.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The engrossing latest from Colombian writer Rosero (Stranger to the Moon) plumbs the depths of an artist's depravity. When 50-year-old writer Eri answers his door one evening, he is greeted by Toño, a former friend and tormentor whom he hasn't seen for 20 years. Toño is in poor health, and confesses to his wife's murder before passing out. As Eri struggles with Toño's reappearance, he recalls their teenage interactions, which include the affluent Toño's possible involvement in multiple sexual assaults, as well as Eri's eventual decision to break off their friendship. As years pass, Eri hears rumors of Toño starting a commune and staging horrific art installations—graphic performances included reenactments of the Holocaust and the genocidal conquest of the Americas, though most upsetting to the authorities was a performance involving a naked Jesus and lovesick Mary Magdalene. Back in the present, Eri watches over the ailing Toño and wonders how much of the man's life is merely myth. Rosero swiftly navigates the recursive timeline, and he offsets dark and decadent flashbacks with Eri's struggle to parse truth from embellishment, right up to Toño's present-day claim about his wife's murder. Though some moments are difficult to stomach, the result is a sharp commentary on the human capacity for brutality.
