Blue Hour: Best Foreign Novel of the 21st Century. 2005

Author: Alonso Quiroga
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Blue Hours is a selected work of Western, Spanish, and Latin American literature in the Annual Best Foreign Novel of the 21st Century award. While sorting through the documents left behind by his deceased mother, Dr. Omarche, a professional lawyer from Peru, accidentally discovers a past story of his father during his tenure as the military commander of Ayacucho: over a decade ago, the anti-government guerrilla group Shining Path was highly active in that region. The government forces often falsely claimed to be suppressing rebellious elements by arbitrarily arresting and killing innocent indigenous residents, with women suffering the most, as they had to endure rape and gang rape by officers and soldiers before being brutally murdered. Omarche's father had long exploited a beautiful indigenous girl named Miriam, but the girl eventually escaped from his clutches and disappeared without a trace. Motivated by the desire to uncover the truth and, to some extent, atone for his father's sins, Omarche resolves to find the victimized woman. After enduring countless hardships and setbacks, Omarche finally meets Miriam, who is now accompanied by a boy of over ten years old.