Red April

Author's Note

The Senderista methods of attack described in this book, as well as the countersubversive strategies of investigation, torture, and disappearance, are real. Many of the dialogues of the characters are in fact citations taken from Senderista documents or the statements of terrorists, officials, and members of the armed forces of Peru who participated in the conflict. The dates of Holy Week, 2000, and the description of its celebration, are also factual. However, all the characters, as well as most of the situations and places mentioned here, are fictitious, and even factual details have been taken out of the context of their place, time, and meaning. Like all novels, this book recounts a story that could have happened, but its author does not confirm that it did happen this way.

My thanks for their reading the original manuscript, and for their suggestions, to Pablo Lohmann, Diego Salazar, Juan Ossio, and Jorge Villarán.