The Blue Hour

Overview

From one of the greatest living South American novelists comes a stunning novel exploring the aftermath of the Peruvian Civil War against the "Shining Path"—part detective story, part tale of revisited despairAdrián Ormache, a high-flying lawyer with a beautiful wife and two daughters, leads a privileged and glamorous life in one of Lima's wealthiest neighborhoods. But when his mother dies, he discovers a letter among her possessions making shocking claims about her now long-dead husband, Adrián's father—a commander in the army during the Peruvian Civil War of the 1980s. As well as being linked to atrocities committed against the "Shining Path" guerrillas, it appears that he also kidnapped and kept a local girl, whose family now seeks retribution. Shocked out of his comfortable existence, Adrián becomes obsessed with finding the girl at the heart of the mystery, and sets out to face the harrowing realities of Peru's recent past and uncover the truth about his father.

Reviews

"A magnificent novel that describes ten years of civil war and terrorism with lucidity and resonant fantasy."  —Mario Vargas Llosa

Author Biography

Alonso Cueto is an award-winning Peruvian novelist, playwright, journalist, and professor of journalism. His novel The Blue Hour won the Herralde Prize, which promotes new works of Spanish literature.