| In Marquez' vivid and riveting tale of love, rejection, revenge, and death, the narrator dredges up the twenty-seven-year old murder of Santiago Nassar by speaking to the man's mother and several others intimate with the story.
One morning Nassar wakes up groggy from the wedding festivities held the night before. Like his father Ibrihim, an Arab immigrant, Nassar has a fondness for young virginal girls. A warning note, giving the details of his pending murder, is slipped under his door but goes undetected until afterward. Waiting with knives are Pedro and Pablo Vicario, the twin brothers of disgraced, beautiful, and newly wed Angela Vicario. When it was discovered by her groom that the young bride was not a virgin, she was returned to the house of her parents in humiliation. As retribution, Nassar was to be killed for their shame. The narrator goes back further in time to recall the first encounter between the couple, when Senorita Vicario despises Senior San Roman as a rich but highly conceited man, whom she had barely met before he asked her parents to marry her. The groom spends a small fortune to purchase a dream home for his bride-to-be and another incredible sum for the wedding celebration. The twins openly admit to the murder and it would seem the entire town knew Nassar was going to be killed and yet no one raised an objection or moved to halt the vengeful slaying. The twins, butchers by trade were seen sharpening their knives only hours before the murder, bragging that the sharpened knives were for killing Nassar. The twins proceeded to inquire around town if anyone had seen Nassar. When asked why they needed him, the twins calmly said in order to kill him. Nassar's death brings about an uproar among the Arab population of the town. As the narrator moves back to the present day he tells of the suspicion that Nassar was not the one who had deflowered Angela and also of the long awaited reunion between Angela and San Ramon. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - depressed Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's Ethnic/Regional/Religion Crime & Police story Yes Story of Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes Eccentric: How sensitive is this character? Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 () The Americas (not US): Yes The Americas: - The Caribbean - South Writing Style Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references only Lot of foul language? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
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