Tomás

Tomás is the novel’s protagonist and narrator. He was born in 1955 in La Plata, Argentina. At age 12, he began to develop romantic feelings for Isabel, the daughter of a family friend. As teenagers, Tomás and Isabel developed a semi-romantic, semi-sexual relationship, but Isabel never fully requited Tomás’ feelings. Tomás became a hard-working student, but he never overcame his feelings for Isabel. Tomás eventually transferred to a university in Buenos Aires so he could be closer to Isabel.

When Isabel became involved with a secret guerrilla group called Montoneros, Tomás agreed to be a spy for her. He became an employee in a government-run interrogation center, where the government would torture and kill people. Tomás never directly harmed or killed anyone, but he became thoroughly traumatized, and he eventually fled the country for his own safety. He moved to the...