“It was as if we killed him all over again after he was dead,” says Father Carmen Amador, somewhat forced to conduct an autopsy on a body whose entrails are strewn all over the place. The visceral description of the autopsy is as graphic as it gets and if you don’t have the stomach for it, I’d like to think there’s a probability of feeling nauseous. All this, simply by reading about the death so ominous, the stink hangs in the air.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is based on a real-life incident that he was privy to, involving a young couple in Sucre that got married, and the very next day after the wedding, the groom rejected the bride on account of the lack of her virginity. The bride’s ex was pursued by her brothers and executed as a part of an honour killing. Well, clearly Bolivia and Haryana seem like they could be best friends. Certain accounts say GGM was around to watch the act of vengeance first-hand but this has been dismissed since. I wouldn’t be surprised though if that was the case. Such is the vigour with which the fictional equivalent narrated. But why are we talking about the murder in such a straightforward manner? Because seemingly everyone in town knew of Santiago Nasar’s impending death at the hand of the Vicario twins, except the victim himself. Actually, he did get to know about it too, but right before he was knifed into submission in front of his own door. The events leading up to the death are recounted from various angles, involving a multitude of people in the setting, in a journalistic fashion. One would think you’re reading a compilation of the case as it was being discussed at court with accounts of kith and kin, first-hand witnesses, layered with the prior context of people involved. I think what is slightly out of focus is the pain and suffering that Angela Vicario, the castaway bride has to experience while Bayardo, the groom suffers from simply no consequences despite having been the instigator in the first place. Though in hindsight, this is for the reader to discover, having been subjected to numerous accounts of people lavishing him with praise while it is expected of Angela to marry him, simply on the account of him having charmed her family with extravagant gestures. The less said, the better.
The read: It is an ode to GGM’s wonderful storytelling abilities that despite knowing of the titular death right from the beginning, you are held by the masterful grip of his writing. In fact, the real unraveling of the ‘why’ is hidden in the middle of the book, casually thrown into the mix in an unassuming manner. I think this is the kind of book you could re-read multiple times and find a new bit or angle that you might have missed out on in previous readings. It is thoroughly engaging, timeless and as thousands have said before and thousands will after me: There had never been a death more foretold.
20/365.
Trivia: The text mentions a panopticon, where the Vicario twins are jailed post the crime. Designed by British philosopher Jeremy Bentham, the structure has a guard who can see every cell and inmate but the inmates can’t see into the tower. The structure lends itself to ethics as well, with surveillance being the most prominent aspect. Here’s an interesting article describing its digital equivalence.
Documentation:
Book: Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Year of Release: 1981
Publisher: Vintage