Chronicle of a Death Foretold

To say that I enjoyed Chronicle of a Death Foretold would be inaccurate, but I definitely appreciated it. I liked its brevity and the fact that it stuck to the point while still providing bits of color and background. It was never a chore to read.

The geographical setting is a beautiful coastal Caribbean town that one might like to visit. The setting never really gets muddied in spite of the dark deeds going on. There were places open at odd hours. I liked the idea of a convenience store by day, bar by night. The brothel sounded like a beautiful, happy place with a courtyard and gourd lanterns.

The characters were well drawn and fanciful.  I loved the imagery of the “eyes of an insomniac leopard”, referring to a favorite prostitute that never slept. The entire book has an ethereal quality to the setting and the characters. Even the superstitions of the culture are brought forth with such authority, that you find yourself absolutely agreeing to a romantic idea. Of course a dream meant something more. Of course one could die of a broken heart. This makes sense. The author easily gets you to come along.

The death was gruesome and graphic. It was difficult for me to read, but I appreciated the artistry in it. What I really thought was amazing was the way the Gabriel García Márquez presents everything in such a matter-of-fact way. The entire scene is laid out in colorful terms, but he is even-handed with his characters. There is a lot of nobility in that. Santiago is a sexual predator but also a friend, and a victim of a brutal murder for an act he likely didn’t commit. Angela is probably a liar who caused a man to die, but she is also a confused girl with an overbearing and abusive mother. Everyone is presented in all of their glory, vices and virtues. I love that. If you only look at the worst trait in anyone, of course you will see a monster. What is presented here is a cast of real characters.

I came away with the feeling that people are human above all else. In spite of the fact that the murderers were reluctant and that the victim was unlikely. Although there were countless ways that the crime could have been avoided. People repeatedly forget, get distracted, procrastinate, second-guess themselves, feel embarrassed, feel obligated, miscommunicate and lie. This is the human experience. These all take place hundreds of times throughout the novella to culminate it one man’s preventable death.