In Evil Hour

"An openly political novel posing the people of the land against the forces of oppression. . . it has the virtues of wit and compassion and reveals the foundation upon which the later novels were constructed." —Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World

The thrilling story about the smears,
defamations, infidelities, and torrential rains that afflict a small Colombian small
town and the sacrifice of a boy that brings torment and chaos to an end, from the
masterful Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of One Hundred Years of Solitude and
Love in the Time of Cholera.

One morning slanderous posters start appearing
all over the town, revealing family secrets and maligning individuals. Ghosts
of the past reappear, along with old feuds and infidelities. Torrential rains then
flood the town and chaos is everywhere. Neighbors suspect each other yet no one
knows who is responsible. Finally, a boy is made the scapegoat and tragedy
ensues.

In Evil Hour contains vivid
characters who reflect the humor and pathos of everyday life. This brooding
novel clearly points the way to the flowering of Garcia Marquez’s genius in his
later One Hundred Years of Solitude.

| Written just before One Hundred Years of Solitude, this fascinating novel of a Colombian river town possessed by evil points to the author's later flowering and greatness. |

"One Hundred Years of Solitude is just around the rain-drenched corner." - Boston Globe