The Shape of the Ruins

A Novel

By: Juan Gabriel Vasquez, Anne McLean

Narrated by: Sheldon Romero

Shortlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize

A sweeping tale of conspiracy theories, assassinations, and twisted obsessions - the much anticipated masterpiece from Juan Gabriel Vásquez.

The Shape of the Ruins is a masterly story of conspiracy, political obsession, and literary investigation. When a man is arrested at a museum for attempting to steal the bullet-ridden suit of a murdered Colombian politician, few notice. But soon this thwarted theft takes on greater meaning as it becomes a thread in a widening web of popular fixations with conspiracy theories, assassinations, and historical secrets; and it haunts those who feel that only they know the real truth behind these killings.

This novel explores the darkest moments of a country's past and brings to life the ways in which past violence shapes our present lives. A compulsive read, beautiful and profound, eerily relevant to our times and deeply personal, The Shape of the Ruins is a tour-de-force story by a master at uncovering the incisive wounds of our memories.

©2018 Juan Gabriel Vasquez (P)2018 Penguin Audio

fun and interesting journey through Colombian conspiracies

As a bilingual Colombian; this was a fun and interesting journey through some important and key moments of Colombian history and the multitude of unanswered questions surrounding the plague of corruption and violence that have persisted through time.

Having said that, I am deeply disappointed that they did not find someone bilingual enough to properly pronounce the Spanish words and street names as it really takes away from the narrative and, in an unexpected way, the identity of the places and people they describe.

Great book!

Fascinating reflection on Colombian history---and eerily relevant to today's USA. Up there with DeLillo's Libra.

Great Book

I highly recommend this book. In addition to being eye opening it's filled with gems

Epic and Brilliant

A book about the creation of a book. A detailed history of Uribe and Gaitan and Colombia, ripe with imaginations and conspiracy theories. A book whose nooks and twists make if almost impossible to describe, bug what a pleasure to hear or read. Challenging. Extraordinary. The reading is first rate.

Uncanny valley between fiction and non

And doesn't work as either. Some effective moments, like the one in the hospital. A deep sense of history.

Narrative isn't so well managed. Uribe Uribe turns up somewhere in the middle and somehow becomes the subject, in a protracted interlude that really belongs in another novel. The main thread resumes only to fizzle out.


Performance is okay. Some speech defects here and there. Inflections don't change between characters, making dialogue often difficult to follow.

Overall, needs some workshopping to fix.