Night Prayers

Two Colombian siblings struggle to reunite as the clock ticks down in this emotional thriller from an author praised for his “masterful suspense” (Publishers Weekly).   As a boy, Manuel was a dreamer, a lover of literature, and a tagger. His sister, Juana, made a promise to do everything in her power to protect him from the drug- and violence-infested streets of Bogotá. She decided to take him as far from Colombia as possible, and in order to raise the money to do so, she went to work as a high-priced escort and entered into contact with the dangerous world of corrupt politicians—and when things spun out of control she was forced to flee, leaving her beloved brother behind.   Now Manuel, a philosophy student, has been arrested in Bangkok and accused of drug trafficking. Unless he enters a guilty plea he will almost certainly be sentenced to death. But it is not this prospect that weighs most heavily on him—it is the longing for his sister, Juana, whom he hasn’t seen for years. Before he dies he wants nothing more than to be with her again. Finally, one man learns of Manuel’s situation and decides to find Juana—now married to a rich man in Tokyo—and reunite the siblings. But it is a feat that may be beyond his power . . .   With the style that has earned him a reputation as one of “the most important Colombian writers” (Manuel Vázquez Montalbán), Santiago Gamboa presents a compelling and moving story about the mean streets of Bogotá, the sordid bordellos of Thailand, and a love between siblings that knows no end.

A thrilling literary novel about crime and corruption in Latin America told in alternating voices and perspectivesNight Prayers is the story of Manuel, a Colombian philosophy student arrested in Bangkok and accused of drug trafficking. Unless he enters a guilty plea he will almost certainly be sentenced to death. But it is not his own death that weighs most heavily on him but a tender longing for his sister, Juana, whom he hasn't seen for years. Before he dies he wants nothing more than to be reunited with her. Fans of both Roberto Bolaño and Gabriel García Márquez will find much to admire in this story about the mean streets of Bogotá, the sordid bordellos of Thailand, and a love between siblings that knows no end. 

As a boy, Manuel was a dreamer, a lover of literature, and a tagger. His sister Juana made a promise to do everything in her power to protect him from the drug-and violence-infested streets of Bogotá. She decided to take him as far from Colombia as possible, and in order to raise the money to do so, she went to work as a high-priced escort and entered into contact with the dangerous world of corrupt politicians. When things spun out of control she was forced to flee, leaving her beloved brother behind. 

Juana and Manuel's story reaches the ears of the Colombian counsel general in New Delhi, and he tracks down Juana, now married to a rich Japanese man, in Tokyo. The counsel general takes it upon himself to reunite the two siblings—a feat that may be beyond his power. 

With the stylishness that has earned him a reputation as one of "the most important Colombian writers" (Manuel Vázquez Montalbán), Santiago Gamboa lends his story a driving, irresistible rhythm.


From the Trade Paperback edition.