num_pages: 272
description: Magdalena a river that courses through the heart of Colombia connects a violent past with the countrys uncertain present. British writer Michael Jacobs struggles to reconcile his love for the land and its people with the dangers that both still present.Determined to eliminate modern conveniences from his journey he begins traversing the river by tugboat. He makes an exception for a cell phone that maintains a sporadic signal at best in efforts to keep in touch with his mother suffering from deteriorating health. Jacobs cannot help but notice the irony of his mothers dementia and his travels through Colombian townships with the worlds highest incidence of early-onset Alzheimers.While navigating the mysterious river and unfamiliar territoryboth emotionally and geographicallyJacobs comes across Gabriel Garcia Mrquez whose own faltering memory shows a growing obsession with the Magdalena River of his youth. When Jacobs and his companions are apprehended by FARC guerillas who turn out to be as quirky and affable as they are intimidating life begins to imitate the magical realism of Mrquezs signature works. Shortly after being released from captivity the FARC camp is bombed by the Colombian air force leaving no likely survivors among his oddly likeable captors. Exploring themes of adventure endings and the utter pointlessness of it all Jacobs can only forge onward in his reflection of the mystical river.
language: English
title: The Robber of Memories: A River Journey Through Colombia
publisher: Counterpoint