Down the Rabbit Hole: A Novel
“Perfectly formed . . . Although easily devoured in one sitting, this clever little book is to be contemplated at length afterwards.” —The Guardian“Showing how a child absorbs violence without awareness that something is wrong is a tricky endeavor. Mr. Villalobos nails it.” —Susannah Meadows,The New York Times“Down the Rabbit Holeis a miniature high-speed experiment with perspective . . . A deliberate, wild attack on the conventions of literature.” —Adam Thirlwell“Juan Pablo Villalobos brilliantly encapsulates the chaos of a lawless existence in which, under the sway of drug lords, anything might happen and everything goes . . .Down the Rabbit Holeis an astonishing debut.” —Lucy Popescu, The Independent“If you’re going to have an imprisoned child narrate a novel, then not so much as a word should be out of place. There are no such slips in Juan Pablo Villalobos’s debut novella. We have here a control over the material which is so tight it is almost claustrophobic . . . This is a novel about failing to understand the bigger picture, and in its absence we can see it more clearly.” —Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian,Choice of the Week“Villalobos creates Tochtli’s half-corrupt, half-innocent world . . . with a brilliant, tragi-comic light touch.” —Jane Shilling, Daily Mail“Juan Pablo Villalobos has done a masterful job creating a child narrator . . .Down the Rabbit Holeis, on the surface, innocent, clever and lovable, but its implications are deeply disturbing . . . [it] is a remarkable reflection on the uncontrollable narco violence that defines contemporary Mexico. And it’s an absolute must read.” —The Coffin Factory“The riveting voice of Tochtli grasps our hearts as we realize that this is a world where even fate can be governed by power. In this miasma of pathos and politics,Down the Rabbit Holebrilliantly incorporates dreams, loyalty and the loss of innocence.” —Alice Tao,The Houston Chronicle“With this book we have discovered Juan Pablo Villalobos, a linguistic virtuoso able to penetrate the elusive world of literature, shedding light on many of its mysteries.” —José Antonio Aguado, Diari de Terrassa“With Down the Rabbit Hole, Juan Pablo Villalobos has made a dramatic entrance into the literary world. It is a book that must be read for its great aesthetic value and darkly humorous tone. A book that throws a clear light on a dark subject.” —Teresa García Díaz, Amerika