Perfection's Companion (Best Foreign Novel of the 21st Century)

Author: Andrés Trábelo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: This is a new work by Spanish contemporary writer Andrés Trábelo, which won the Spanish "Nadal" Award in 2003. The novel centers on the murder case of a police chief, Luis, who had committed numerous evils both during and after the Spanish Civil War. It artistically recreates some social changes and phenomena that occurred in Spain after the war until the 1980s, and criticizes Franco's authoritarian rule. The "Friends of Perfect Crimes" club, composed of members such as novelists, lawyers, police officers, and bank employees, gathers in the form of discussion meetings to study detective novels from various countries and explore the basic principles of what is known as "perfect crimes." Later, the members indeed encounter a murder case—the victim is the host of the discussion meetings and the father-in-law of a detective novel writer, and the murderer is also a member of the club, a bank employee avenging his father. The novel has a unique writing style, full of suspense, with characters from the story and real-world characters intertwined, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and fiction. The work has a rigorous structure, refined language, vivid dialogue, and a gripping plot.