A Heart So White by Javier Marías

Amazon
Fiction · 336 pages · Paperback · 1995
Winner of the IMPAC Dublin Award. Widely considered a masterpiece. Modern Library 100 Best Novels.
A newlywed translator uncovers disturbing secrets about his family’s past and marriage.
“An entertaining and intelligent novel.” — WaPo. “A great writer.” — Salman Rushdie.

From the publisher: Juan, a professional interpreter living in Madrid, has recently married and settled into what appears to be a calm and promising life. But shortly after his wedding he becomes haunted by a shocking family story he once overheard—an event that took place decades earlier when his father’s first wife abruptly left a room during their honeymoon and took her own life. As Juan begins to reflect on this hidden family history, he becomes increasingly aware of how little he truly knows about the people closest to him.
Working as an interpreter for diplomats and politicians, Juan spends his days translating the words of others—carefully listening, analyzing, and repeating. Yet outside the conference rooms and state visits, he finds himself drawn into a growing sense that secrets, half-truths, and silences shape the lives of everyone around him. As his father’s past slowly reveals itself, Juan begins to question what marriage means, what knowledge we owe one another, and whether some truths are better left unspoken.

Written with hypnotic elegance and philosophical depth, A Heart So White is a masterful meditation on secrecy, intimacy, and the unsettling power of knowing too much.
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