The Past Pursues Us Like Detectives, Debt Collectors, Thieves

Synopsis

After years living abroad, JP returns to Mexico to visit his family and help care for his elderly mother. Instead of easing back into home life, he ends up in a bar confronting Everardo, a sort-of childhood friend, and lands a punch he immediately regrets. By the next morning, Everardo is dead, and JP finds himself caught in a bewildering mess of suspicion, drugs, fraud, debt, and family obligation.

The Past Pursues Us Like Detectives, Debt Collectors, Thieves is a darkly comic whodunit about returning home and discovering that the place you remember has changed in ways you barely understand. Juan Pablo Villalobos turns murder, bureaucracy, medical bills, and bad decisions into a fast-moving novel about memory, migration, and the stories people tell themselves about where they come from. Translated from the Spanish by Daniel Hahn.

About the Author

Juan Pablo Villalobos is a Mexican novelist and essayist born in Guadalajara in 1973. He is the author of Down the Rabbit Hole, Quesadillas, I’ll Sell You a Dog, I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me, and The Invasion of the Spirit People. His work is known for its absurdist humour, sharp political observation, and satirical treatment of contemporary Mexican life. His books have been translated into numerous languages. This edition is translated by Daniel Hahn.

Publisher

And Other Stories

Publication Date

July 21, 2026

Format

Paperback

Pages

240

Subjects

Literary Fiction · Fiction in Translation · Mexican Literature · Crime Fiction · Satire · Family Life

ISBN

9781916751453