Chapter 23: Saying Goodbye to Colombia
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Mauro notices a missed call from an unknown number and immediately worries that Talia has been arrested or hurt. He is at work repairing a light fixture in an apartment, where he observes a wealthy family eating breakfast. The father speaks loudly about Colombia’s peace treaty, calling it a farce and predicting ongoing violence. The family members mostly ignore each other, a luxury Mauro cannot fathom. He closes his eyes and briefly fantasizes that his own family—Elena, his son, and his two daughters—are seated there instead.
After the lavandería closes and Perla’s house becomes too expensive to maintain, Elena agrees to sell it. The new owners, Spaniards, plan to turn the building into a language school. Before handing over the keys, Mauro and Talia go to the roof, where he first kissed Elena. Talia complains about Bogotá’s weather, and Mauro reminds her that their ancestral connection to the land runs deeper than its status as a capital city. He struggles to explain that leaving means always losing something—that emigration is a kind of death.
Mauro buys a new statue of the Virgen de Chiquinquirá to replace the one Perla lost, getting it blessed at a church. He prepares for Talia’s departure by packing a pink suitcase with clothes, gifts for Karina and Nando, and Perla’s photos. He writes a letter to Elena asking forgiveness. He also gets tattoos: on one arm, the names of his children—Karina, Nando, and Talia—and on the other wrist, Elena’s name, though he asks Talia not to tell her mother. Talia is not sentimental; she sees her father as a melancholy old man. Mauro dreads the solitude after she leaves, though he attends meetings to stay sober.
Key Events
- Mauro sees a missed call and fears for Talia’s safety.
- While fixing a light, he observes a wealthy Bogotá family’s breakfast routine.
- The father criticizes the peace treaty, predicting continued conflict.
- Mauro imagines his own family at the table, then blinks the vision away.
- The lavandería closes; Perla’s house is sold to Spaniards for a language school.
- Mauro and Talia go to the roof, where he reflects on their ancestors’ migration.
- Mauro replaces the lost Virgen statue with a new one, having it blessed.
- He packs Talia’s suitcase with gifts, photos, and a letter for Elena.
- Mauro gets tattoos of his children’s and Elena’s names.
- Talia shows little sentiment; Mauro fears the coming loneliness.
Character Development
Mauro’s inner life dominates this chapter. His guilt over past failures and his desperate need to stay connected to his family are expressed through the tattoos—he physically inscribes their names on his body. He also reveals his vulnerability when he admits to missing the chaos of street life because it distracts him from his interior echoes. His worry about Talia’s safety and his preparations for her journey show a father trying to retain control over what he cannot keep.
Talia appears detached and eager to leave. She does not share her father’s sentimentality and finds his stories tiresome. This emotional distance foreshadows the gulf that will grow after she joins her mother and siblings in the United States.
Elena remains a distant presence: she agrees to sell the house and asks about Talia not returning her calls, but she does not press Mauro on his lies. She trusts him with practical decisions while maintaining emotional distance.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Emigration as death. Mauro explicitly thinks, “Leaving is a kind of death.” He warns that after the enchantment of a new country wears off, a particular pain awaits—the feeling of becoming a scorned, unwanted creature.
Invisibility of labor. While Mauro fixes the light, the family treats him as part of the furniture. The father calls him “Mauricio,” never learning his real story. This echoes the way migrants and workers are often unseen by the privileged.
Tattoos as permanent bonds. Mauro’s arm becomes a living family tree. He adds names over time, but the first—Karina’s—was a spontaneous act of joy. Now the tattoos are all he will have left after Talia departs.
The lost Virgen statue. The statue of the Virgen de Chiquinquirá represents both Perla’s legacy and the family’s broken connection to faith and home. Mauro replaces it with a lesser copy, symbolizing how things are never exactly the same after loss.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 23 marks the final preparation for Talia’s departure from Colombia. It crystallizes Mauro’s role as the one left behind, a man who will soon be alone in an apartment too big for him. The chapter also deepens the novel’s critique of the Colombian peace process, showing how it remains a topic of privileged dinner-table debate while people like Mauro continue to struggle invisibly. The rooftop conversation with Talia ties the family’s personal history to the violent legacy of colonization and displacement, linking Mauro’s migration to a longer ancestral journey.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Mauro imagine the wealthy family as his own?
Mauro fantasizes his family in that setting because he craves a life where daily routines are mundane rather than fraught with worry. The vision reveals his longing for stability and the simple luxury of being “indifferent” to danger—a privilege he has never known.
2. What does the lost Virgen statue symbolize, and why does Mauro replace it?
The statue embodies Perla’s faith and the family’s heritage. Its loss mirrors the irreparable damage done by separation and migration. Mauro buys a new one but knows it is inferior, just as his attempts to hold the family together feel inadequate.
3. How do the tattoos on Mauro’s arms function in the story?
The tattoos are a permanent record of his family. Each name—Karina, Nando, Talia, Elena—represents a bond he fears breaking. They also show his evolution: the early tattoo of Karina’s name was a youthful whim, while the later ones are deliberate acts of devotion. He hopes one day to show Elena her name in person.