Chronicle of a Death Foretold

I finished my 11th classic in the Back to the Classics Challenge for 2016. This book was for the category, Classic by a non-white author.

I think I have read this before, but glad I read it again. This story is very well told and, through written in a different style than usually written, it is easy to follow even though a scattered account. I really like that it is told in first person, but has third person account as well, showing that what the storyteller knows comes from not only his knowledge but the knowledge of others as well. I really liked this as it is clearly a community story. The language is a bit harsh, but the cursing was limited to appropriate for the telling of the story. It wasn't cussing for the sake of cussing. Overall I really liked the style of the book.

The story line was also very intriguing. From the beginning you know the end, and yet you still want to keep reading. I liked the interweaving of story lines to make one completely story line. There were a lot of characters so here and there it did get a bit cumbersome with all of the names, but because of the way the story is told it works well. I also appreciate the mystery that is left in the story as well. We never really know why this man was chosen to die. There is the spoken reason, but it is evident there is more to the story that we don't know and we never will. Usually this would drive me insane, but it worked for this story and I'm only slightly frustrated by it. I also appreciate the side story that led to Santiago Nasar's death that is concluded in an unexpected way.

This book also gives you a lot to think about when dealing with other people, helping and loving others. It makes you think, too, about what you would do when you hear something bad may be happening. I like that it shares what the majority of the people involved were thinking during the event, everyone except Santiago Nasar. It's a great look into humanity and even how we know and understand people, including ourselves. It's also a great reminder that we never really know what people will do.

On the whole I really enjoyed this book. 4.5 stars for this different style classic.