Description
Book SynopsisFrom acclaimed Colombian author Laura Restrepo comes a prize-winning novel inspired by a true crime that shattered a community and exposed the dark recesses of toxic masculinity and privilege. Immune to the consequences of immorality, five privileged young men in Bogotá bond over a shared code: worship drugs and drink, exploit women, and scorn the underclass. As males, they declare the right to freedom of pleasure. As friends, only disloyalty to each other is forbidden. When a little girl from the slums disappears, the limits of a perverse and sacred bond will be tested in ways none of them could have imagined. Hauntingly true, this daringly told work of fiction explores the tragic dynamic between genders, social classes, and victim and victimizer, and between five men whose intolerable transgressions will shake the conscience of a country.
Trade Review“Restrepo triumphs in her depiction of toxic masculinity and the clash of social classes, and navigates her characters through a sensational crime without subscribing to stereotypes. This elegy for lost youth and innocence is a powerhouse.” —Publishers Weekly “A compelling story of how men who revel in misogyny and privilege can create a brutal darkness.” —Kirkus Reviews “The book eviscerates toxic masculinity and will elicit strong responses from readers. Powerful and award-winning, this is not one to be taken lightly.” —Ms. Magazine “This is a compelling story of toxic masculinity, entitlement born of privilege, and lost innocence.” —The Guardian “The Divine Boys explores the boundaries of friendship and loyalty, while examining the corruption privilege can cause in a body and mind.” —Bustle “The Divine Boys packs a lot of social commentary into its two hundred-odd pages, achieving through fiction and metaphor what weightier tomes often struggle to convey. Ms. Restrepo, through this deft translation by Carolina De Robertis, has written an account of murder, guilt, and culpability that’s both lyrical and heart-wrenching.” —Criminal Element
