A taut new novel by the award-winning author of The Sound of Things Falling - `one of the most original voices of Latin American literature`, Mario Vargas Llosa `An affecting, carefully paced work of psychological realism` Times Literary Supplement As Colombia`s famed political cartoonist, Javier Mallarino, strolls through downtown Bogota before a public celebration of his career in the grand Teatro Colon, he contemplates the start of his professional life; how he set down his oils and took up a pen to begin drawing caricatures for a living. But the celebration has far-reaching consequences: as he leaves the theatre a figure from his past, now a young woman, emerges from the crowd and forces Mallarino to confront an incident that took place in his home half a lifetime ago, calling into question his reputation and the value of his life`s work.