Fiction. Latin American Studies. Translated by Adrian Althoff. "Dark and quirky, a revealing excursion to a place over which 'the gringos' to the north always loom"--New York Times Book Review. Set in 1952, ANDEAN EXPRESS is the story of a tragic overnight train journey that unfolds in an environment at once carnivalesque and sinister. Beginning near La Paz, Bolivia, the austere Andean plateau serves as a surreal backdrop for most of the trip before giving way to a winding descent to the Chilean coast. Ricardo Beintigoitia, a recent high school graduate from a prosperous La Paz family, unwittingly becomes ensnared in the personal drama of one of his peers, a captivating girl named Gulietta Carletti who has been forced into an arranged marriage with a man she despises. De Recacoechea's novel AMERICAN VISA won Bolivia's National Book Prize and is also available from SPD.

Author City: La Paz BOL

Juan de Recacoechea was born in La Paz, Bolivia, and worked as a journalist in Europe for almost twenty years. After returning to his native country, he helped found Bolivia's first state-run television network and dedicated himself to fiction writing. His novel American Visa won Bolivia's National Book Prize, was adapted into an award-winning film, and was translated into English and published by Akashic Books to great critical acclaim.