A masterwork from the pre-eminent Latin American writer of his generation On vacation with his girlfriend, Ingeborg, the German war-game champion, Udo Berger, returns to a small town on the Costa Brava where he spent the summers of his childhood. Soon they meet another vacationing German couple, Charly and Hanna, who introduce them to a band of localsthe Wolf, the Lamb, and El Quemadoand to the darker side of life in a resort town. Late one night, Charly disappears without a trace, and Udos well-ordered life is thrown into upheaval. Although Ingeborg and Hanna return to their lives in Germany, Udo refuses to leave the hotel. Soon he and El Quemado are enmeshed in a round of Third Reich, Udos favourite World War II strategy game, and he discovers that the games consequences may be all too real. Written in 1989 and found among Roberto Bolaos papers after his death, The Third Reich is a stunning exploration of memory and violence. Reading this quick, visceral novel, we see a world-class writer coming into his ownand exploring for the first time the themes that would define his masterpieces The Savage Detectives and 2666.
