Scan barcode
jimins's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
read for class
dremps92's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
luvandkiwi's review against another edition
1.0
Horrible read. Couldn't finish this book. The author was too ambitious. Too many storylines, characters...the translations weren't translated enough. Just too much for my little brain to comprehend.
cosmiccloudbird's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
socgp123's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
zabranowicz's review against another edition
Couldn’t stomach scenes of animal cruelty
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
3.0
Set in the not-so-distant past in Peru, this story centers around the disappearance of three men in a remote Andean mining village. Peruvian Army corporal Lituma and his deputy Tomás have been dispatched to investigate and to protect the village from the Shining Path guerrillas that they assume are responsible for the disappearances. The townspeople distrust the army men and have their own ideas about what happened to the missing men. To pass the time in the remote outpost, Tomás entertains Lituma each night with tales about his love affair with a wayward prostitute, which are intermingled with the mystery of the missing men.
The plot fluidly moves between past and present, sometimes in the same paragraph or sentence. The writing style took some getting used to and I sometimes found myself unsure where the story was in the timeline and wondering how, or if, the events were related or not. While I eventually got into the flow, the non-linear style may be off-putting to some readers. The tale weaves in a number of political and cultural aspects critical to this time period in Peru, and is considered a political allegory of contemporary Peru. I thought it might have been helpful to include an explanation for some of the terms in the text for readers not familiar with this period of Peruvian history. While most could be discerned from context, a list of terms/definitions at the end of the book would have been helpful.
I used this book for the 2017 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge prompt "read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author."
The plot fluidly moves between past and present, sometimes in the same paragraph or sentence. The writing style took some getting used to and I sometimes found myself unsure where the story was in the timeline and wondering how, or if, the events were related or not. While I eventually got into the flow, the non-linear style may be off-putting to some readers. The tale weaves in a number of political and cultural aspects critical to this time period in Peru, and is considered a political allegory of contemporary Peru. I thought it might have been helpful to include an explanation for some of the terms in the text for readers not familiar with this period of Peruvian history. While most could be discerned from context, a list of terms/definitions at the end of the book would have been helpful.
I used this book for the 2017 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge prompt "read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author."
sarahplainandtall's review against another edition
Too hard to tell the different timelines apart. Just not my style of book.
kelseywelsey's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of nice little details about Peru but the dialogue is too hard to follow.
gypsynyx91's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Definitely a hard book to say I liked or enjoyed because it was pretty brutal but I do think it was very well done and I’m glad I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Sexual assault