As you may already know, I like to read. A lot. So for this trip, I thought it would enhance my experience to read books set in the countries I’m visiting (or books by authors from those countries). Today, I’m sharing a list of recommended reads set in Colombia and/or written by Colombian authors.
Note: I haven’t personally read all these books yet, but I’ve noted below which books are still on my TBR.
Fruit of the Drunken Tree
This debut novel that released last summer (2018) is loosely based on the author’s own experience growing up in a volatile Colombia. It tells the story of two young sisters living in Bogotá during the early 1990s. After their upper-class family hires a teenager from the slums to work in their home, a whole new cast of characters and conflicts are introduced that have severe consequences for everyone.
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Of Love and Other Demons
Gabriel García Márquez is undoubtedly Colombia’s most famous novelist, but I had never read anything by him. I planned on reading One Hundred Years of Solitude during our time in Colombia, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to a 400+ page book. Imagine my relief when a tour guide in Cartagena told me Of Love and Other Demons, a much shorter book, is actually set in the city and is required reading for many Colombia high school students. Done! I’ll admit, it was weird, but I think that’s par for the course for Márquez.
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The Shape of the Ruins
Yet another book by a famous Colombian author I downloaded before the trip with the best of intentions. In fact, I downloaded multiple books by Juan Gabriel Vásquez before the trip, but this one has the highest average rating on Goodreads, so it seems like a good one to start with. 😉 Two other Vásquez novels with popular English translations include The Sound of Things Falling and Reputations.
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Delirium
Bogotá-born Restrepo has written several novels, but this is the one I see recommended the most. This novel, which won the Premio Alfaguara de Novela (a Spanish-language literary award) follows four different characters after a Colombian man returns home to find his wife is suffering from delirium.
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Short Walks from Bogotá: Journeys in the New Colombia
You may have noticed many of the books on this list focus on the 1980s and 1990s–the same time period that gives Colombia such a negative reputation that lingers today. If you’ve been reading our Colombia posts, you know that I loved Colombia, so I really wanted to include more contemporary books that reflect Colombia today. This travelogue was recommended by our Medellin tour guide as a good book on the subject of “the transformation of Colombia.” Although I’d rather include an #ownvoices pick here (please let me know if you have any suggestions!), I’ve added this one to my TBR for now.
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The Farm
Another thing I noticed when compiling this list is that nearly all the books are based in or around Bogotá. This novel, which I haven’t yet read, features three siblings on a mountainous farm in Antioquia, the same province that contains Medellin (where the author was born).
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What are you favorite books set in Colombia and/or by Colombian authors? Leave your recommendations in the comments!
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I’ve read Fruit of the Drunken Tree a few months back and I liked it a lot. It was a different type of fiction (to me, at least). I liked how the story developed, and I always love the book that makes me look up things and learn something new about the culture/country.
Moment of shame – you know how at the library we get questions “I am looking for that green book with big yellow letters”? Yes, that was me, when I forgot the title of this book, I had to ask a colleague to help because my search for “book navy cover trumpet flower” did not turn the right result 😉
I’m impressed that you knew it was a trumpet flower! 😉 I liked it a lot, too.