A review by lancemanion
Reputations by Juan Gabriel Vásquez

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I wanted to like this work. Almost too much, maybe. But it’s obvious story was written with intrigue and mystery that perhaps only the author didn’t see coming. The story plods along, with a storyline of an ex-wife that ultimately goes nowhere and holds little meaning to the overall story. The author loves these characters, which is apparent. But more than the readers do. The main character is a vile old man, whom we should empathize with for his aging regressions and pondering of his place in the world. All to be couched in a child sexual assault story that at its end is maybe too apparent that the revelations are written by a man and of a man’s perspective. Which is the furthest from a compliment I can write. Reading this almost makes me wonder if I was completely wrong to think ‘The Sound of Things Falling’ was a great novel.