The Sound of Things Falling is a novel written by Juan Gabriel Vasquez, a Colombian author, and the book was actually published in 2011 in Spanish first. In 2013, Anne McLean published the English translation, which won the 2014 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
The protagonist and narrator is law professor Antonio Yammara, who tells of the present times, which are completely affected by the drug wars, and the past times, which were completely overrun by the drug wars. Antonio and one of his friends are shot, and while his friend dies, Antonio is hurt badly, which causes him to essentially have PTSD and ruins his marriage. As the plot goes on, Antonio and his friend’s daughter, named Maya, meet and bond over their histories.
In The Sound of Things Falling, everything seems to be falling, from Antonio’s marriage to Colombia as a country, exploring the themes of fate and death through the story.
