Juan Gabriel Vasquéz has been lauded as one of Colombia's (and Latin America's) most important contemporary writers. Tasked by a friend to read this book before visiting Bogota, Dominique dutifully dove in, compelled by Vasquez's ability to weave elegant reflections about life and love within a multi-layered plot. Following a narrator who witnesses a new friend's murder on the streets of Bogotá and who then embarks on a journey to learn about his friend's past, El ruido de las cosas al caer helped Dominique understand how wide reaching Colombia's violence was, while also showing how resilience has helped the country move forward.