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A review by dom_jones
The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
4.0
Liked the premise, and a great translation. A foreign-driven drug trade leading to violence is the story is so many Latin American nations and cities.
I did find the narrator Yammara very unlikeable though, despite early scenes with his trauma, and early fatherhood that showed his vulnerability, and commitment to Aura, his child’s mother.
The narrator’s behaviour at some points didn’t make sense - his obsession with Leverde, and his complete abandonment of his partner for his pursuit of answers about a man he barely knows.
Visibly cringed at the line “so it’s my fault then” when Aura tells Yammara she thinks his attitude and trauma could be affecting their daughter.
Yammara sleeping with Maya at the end of the book, and attempting to justify it with idealistic terms also was weird. The day before he’d reassured his “girls”, his daughter and partner that he was looking for answers and not being unfaithful, insisting to himself that he loved them and wanted to protect them.
I found the whole relationship with Aura quite difficult to understand. They’d been seeing each other casually, and as soon as she gets pregnant, Yammara is happy for her to move in and start a life together? There’s no real emotional exploration or exposition of this. But then maybe this shaky foundation explains why she leaves Yammara later in the book.
Overall apart from these plot points, very interesting and readable, with fun bits of history and real life events included.
Read it in one day too which is always a good sign
I did find the narrator Yammara very unlikeable though, despite early scenes with his trauma, and early fatherhood that showed his vulnerability, and commitment to Aura, his child’s mother.
The narrator’s behaviour at some points didn’t make sense - his obsession with Leverde, and his complete abandonment of his partner for his pursuit of answers about a man he barely knows.
Visibly cringed at the line “so it’s my fault then” when Aura tells Yammara she thinks his attitude and trauma could be affecting their daughter.
Yammara sleeping with Maya at the end of the book, and attempting to justify it with idealistic terms also was weird. The day before he’d reassured his “girls”, his daughter and partner that he was looking for answers and not being unfaithful, insisting to himself that he loved them and wanted to protect them.
I found the whole relationship with Aura quite difficult to understand. They’d been seeing each other casually, and as soon as she gets pregnant, Yammara is happy for her to move in and start a life together? There’s no real emotional exploration or exposition of this. But then maybe this shaky foundation explains why she leaves Yammara later in the book.
Overall apart from these plot points, very interesting and readable, with fun bits of history and real life events included.
Read it in one day too which is always a good sign