Books like La mala hora by Gabriel Garcia Marquez


"La mala hora" unfolds in a nameless Colombian village where anonymous pasquinades—public notices revealing local scandals—fall on doorways. These grim placards mirror whispers that have long circulated in the community. When a cattle trader learns of his wife's infidelity from one such notice, he kills the suspected lover, sparking a chain of retaliations. Amid escalating bloodshed, the mayor declares a state of emergency, mobilizing soldiers who are in reality armed thugs. He uses this emergency as justification to crack down on political rivals, reinforcing the conservative regime’s grip over the town. The story dramatizes how gossip, corruption, and authoritarianism collide in a setting steeped in civil conflict and social unrest.
First publish date: February 7, 2006
Genre: Literary Fiction/Contemporary Literary Fiction
Authors: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.3 (4 community ratings)

La mala hora by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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