The award-winning and haunting novel from Rodrigo HasbĂșn, the literary star Jonathan Safran Foer calls, âa great writer,â about an unusual familyâs breakdownâset in South America during the time of Che Guevara and inspired by the life of Third Reich cinematographer Hans Ertl.
Inspired by real events, Affections is the story of the eccentric, fascinating Ertl clan, headed by the egocentric and extraordinary Hans, once the cameraman for the Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl. Shortly after the end of World War II, Hans and his family flee to Bolivia to start over. There, the ever-restless Hans decides to embark on an expedition in search of the fabled lost Inca city of PaititĂ, enlisting two of his daughters to join him on his outlandish quest into the depths of the Amazon, with disastrous consequences.
âA one-sitting tale of fragmented relationships with a broad scope, delivered with grace and powerâ (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), Affections traces the Ertlsâs slow and inevitable breakdown through the various erratic trajectories of each family member: Hansâs undertakings of colossal, foolhardy projects and his subsequent spectacular failures; his daughter Monika, heir to his adventurous spirit, who joins the Bolivian Marxist guerrillas and becomes known as âChe Guevaraâs avengerâ; and his wife and two younger sisters left to pick up the pieces in their wake. âHasbĂșn writes with patience and precision, revealing the familyâs most intimate thoughts and interactions: first smokes, blind love, and familial devotion. This is a novel to savor for its richness and grace and its historical and political scopeâ (Booklist, starred review)âa masterfully layered tale of how a familyâs voyage of discovery ends up eroding the affections that once held it together.