76 pages 2 hours read

Yuri Herrera

Signs Preceding the End of the World

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera follows Makina, who navigates perilous terrain to find her brother, crossing from South to North. Along the way, she faces threats, helps others, and ultimately finds her brother, who has assumed a new identity. She then embarks on her own transformation, leaving behind her past life to embrace a new identity in an unfamiliar land. The book contains strong language, violence, sexual harassment, and racism.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World is lauded for its poetic prose and evocative narrative, vividly capturing themes of migration and identity. Critics appreciate its brevity and depth, though some find the symbolism heavy-handed and the plot too abstract. Overall, it's a thought-provoking, richly imagined work that resonates with contemporary issues.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Signs Preceding the End of the World?

Readers who enjoy Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera typically appreciate thought-provoking, lyrical narratives that delve into themes of migration, identity, and transformation. Fans of Roberto Bolaño's The Savage Detectives or Junot Díaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao will find this novella captivating.

RecommendedReading Age

18+years

Book Details

Genre

Latin American Literature

Modern Classic Fiction

Themes

Society: Immigration

Identity: Race

Identity: Gender