The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Zambra, Alejandro. Chilean Poet. Penguin Random House LLC, 2022.

Alejandro Zambra's novel Chilean Poet is written from the first person point of view of an unnamed narrator. The novel employs both the past and present tenses and spans decades of time. It is primarily set in Santiago, Chile, and focuses on the lives of protagonists Gonzalo and Vicente.

When Gonzalo was a teenager, he fell in love with a beautiful young girl named Carla. Around the same time, he also fell in love with poetry. Despite his and Carla's seemingly deep and lasting connection, Carla soon grew disgusted with Gonzalo's lackluster performance in bed. She was both desperate to free herself of men and to experience sex outside the context of Gonzalo. Following their breakup, Gonzalo fell into a deep depression. Writing to Carla and penning poems was the only way he could cope with his heartbreak.

Nine years later, Gonzalo and Carla met by chance at a Santiago gay nightclub. When they saw each other, they started dancing and talking. Discovering that neither of them was in fact gay, the two raced to the bathroom to have sex. They ended up kissing and joking, and retreating to Gonzalo's apartment instead. The next morning, Gonzalo contemplated their evening together. He realized that changes in Carla's body were evidence that she had given birth. When he confronted her about her son, Carla was evasive, determined to protect herself.

After a few more hookups and dates, Carla realized Gonzalo was serious about her. He told her he wanted to be a part of her son Vicente's life, too. Carla believed him because she liked and wanted his company. Soon, Gonzalo, Carla, and Vicente created a new version of family together.

Over the following months and years, Gonzalo and Vicente grew increasingly attached to one another. The closer they became, the more desperate Gonzalo was to define their relationship. However, all of the associated vocabulary in Spanish was either insufficient or had negative connotations. He decided that together he and Vicente could change the meaning of such words.

Not long after Carla got pregnant with Gonzalo's baby, she miscarried. When she told Gonzalo she did not want to try for another child, he reconciled himself with his disappointment by pursuing alternate academic and artistic endeavors. Shortly after the publication of his collection Memorial Park, Gonzalo informed Carla he had won a grant to pursue a doctorate in New York. Believing Gonzalo had deceived her, she ended their relationship.

Over the following six years, Vicente struggled to understand himself and his life without Gonzalo. He turned Gonzalo's former study into a studio and library of his own. With time, he developed his own love for poetry, literature, and writing. These growing loves coincided with his brief romance with an American writer named Pru.

Not long after Pru returned to America, Vicente began working at a local bookstore. One day, he spotted a man he believed to be his stepfather. Gonzalo had moved back to Santiago in the recent past, yet was surprised to see his stepson. The two awkwardly greeted one another and chatted. Gonzalo invited Vicente to attend one of his literature courses. After he left, the bookstore owner gave Vicente a copy of Memorial Park. Vicente read the book many times before attending Gonzalo's class. Following the class, the two walked around together, talking. Over the following weeks, they continued to meet up. They worked to rekindle and to redefine their former relationship.