It Would Be Night in Caracas

Written by Karina Sainz Borgo

Narrated by Ana Osorio

Told with gripping intensity, It Would be Night in Caracas chronicles one woman’s desperate battle to survive amid the dangerous, sometimes deadly, turbulence of modern Venezuela and the lengths she must go to secure her future.

In Caracas, Venezuela, Adelaida Falcon stands over an open grave. Alone, except for harried undertakers, she buries her mother–the only family Adelaida has ever known.

Numb with grief, Adelaida returns to the apartment they shared. Outside the window that she tapes shut every night—to prevent the tear gas raining down on protesters in the streets from seeping in. When looters masquerading as revolutionaries take over her apartment, Adelaida resists and is beaten up. It is the beginning of a fight for survival in a country that has disintegrated into violence and anarchy, where citizens are increasingly pitted against each other. But as fate would have it, Adelaida is given a gruesome choice that could secure her escape.

Filled with riveting twists and turns, and told in a powerful, urgent voice, It Would Be Night in Caracas is a chilling reminder of how quickly the world we know can crumble.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Oct 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9780062960207

Karina Sainz Borgo

Karina Sainz Borgo was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She began her career as a journalist for El Nacional. Since emigrating to Spain ten years ago, she has written for Vozpópuli and collaborates with the literary magazine Zenda. She is the author of two nonfiction books, Tráfico y Guaire and Caracas Hip-Hop and the novel It Would Be Night in Caracas. Her latest novel, No Place to Bury the Dead won the the 2023 Jan Michalski Prize. She lives in Madrid.

Reviews for It Would Be Night in Caracas

[paola · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This took so long to pick up and really suck me in despite the audiobook being only 5 hours long. I enjoyed the "present" timeline a lot, those were the most compelling scenes of all. The flashbacks, however, dragged the story. I guess they were supposed to give us an insight in our main character's relationship with her mother, her only family, but they sparked nothing in me /:

[Colin Moore · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The writing painted me a picture of Venezuala. Well done

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Protagonist Adelaida Falcón is living in Venezuela with her mother. Despite a shortage of food and medicine, she tries to care for her mother the best she can, procuring chemotherapy treatments on the black market. When her mother dies, she must fend for herself amidst civil unrest, violence, roving gangs, and lawlessness. She loses everything when her apartment is taken over by looters. Through the death of a neighbor, she finds an unexpected opportunity escape.

This story is based on the author’s life experiences in Venezuela. Themes include loss, resilience, and survival. The terror of the political and social turmoil is occasionally lightened by Adelaida’s fond memories of life in Venezuela with her mother when she was a child. It brings to light the turmoil that Venezuela has experienced in recent years.

[reallifereading · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The description of this book ticked lots of boxes for me.

It’s a translated book, written by a woman, and it’s set in South America, specifically Venezuela, a country I have never been to and don’t know very much of, and sadly haven’t read much about. So I was thrilled to receive this book and immediately set myself to read it.

And while it is heavy, while it is full of sadness and grief (it begins with the death of the main character’s mother and the difficulty in giving her a proper funeral, fearing thieves will descend on the grave before night falls), it was an absorbing read.

Life in Venezuela is a continuous struggle. Supplies are scarce. Rationing is so bad that sanitary napkins are more valuable than toilet paper. Cash is worthless. The banking system “a complete fiction”. Protesters on the street. The air constantly filled with tear gas.

“That’s the way we were all living: peering at what was in each other’s shopping bag. Sniffing out when a neighbour came home with something in short supply, so we could investigate where to get hold of it. We were all becoming suspicious and watchful. We would distort solidarity into predation.”



Adelaida falls into more trouble. The apartment that she lives in gets taken over by a gang of armed women. Luckily (and perhaps a little bit too conveniently), the death of a neighbour offers her an opening, a possible way out.

The story moves from present to past and the happier memories that Adelaida has of her childhood in the city.

It Would Be Night in Caracas is an intense read. It brings a personal narrative to all that is going on in Venezuela, what I’ve seen as headlines and news articles take on new meaning in this debut.

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story about the political nightmare in Venezuela

[hes7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Karina Sainz Borgo’s It Would Be Night in Caracas follows Adelaida Falcón and the experience she has in the tumult and volatility of Venezuela. Hers is a story of survival amidst chaos, and it is not without disturbing, heartbreaking moments.From the moment I learned of Borgo’s novel, I was intrigued. I know very little of Venezuela’s history and could not wait to see what I would pick up from It Would Be Night in Caracas. However, as I began reading, I soon realized the story itself was not for me. Adelaida’s experience mixes with flashbacks to her past, but in a way without clear transitions, so I frequently felt a little lost—a stylistic choice I rarely enjoy. To me, then, the drive of the story became hard to discern, and I had to slog my way through pages to the end. I did not live up to the thrilling, gripping read the blurb promised me, unfortunately.Still, I appreciate that Borgo has shared this story rooted in the politics of Venezuela. While I may not have loved it, I did get an interesting look at the country’s recent history.I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.