Book: Affections
Author: Rodrigo Hasbún
Country: Bolivia
Format: audiobook
Lenght: 3h
Publication: 2015

Affections is a short novel by Bolivian author Rodrigo Hasbún, inspired by the true story of the Ertl family, who immigrated from Germany to Bolivia in the 1950s after the fall of the Nazi regime.

At the center is Hans Ertl, a cinematographer with an adventurer’s spirit; his wife, Aurelia, a melancholic figure who never truly adapted to Bolivia; and their three daughters: Monika, who inherits her father’s boldness and joins the Marxist Bolivian guerrillas; Heidi, who leaves to follow the man she loves; and Trixie, who remains behind with her mother, whom she idolizes and to whom she remains deeply attached.

The novel unfolds in short chapters, each told from a different perspective, and is rooted in historical fact. Hans himself had been enlisted as a cameraman during the Third Reich, working on several well-known Nazi propaganda films. Beyond film, he was also a mountaineer, participating in expeditions across Europe and South America.

His daughter Monika became involved in guerrilla movements in Bolivia during the 1960s, in the wake of Che Guevara’s campaigns and Cuba’s shift to a communist government under Fidel Castro*. She eventually joined the National Liberation Army (ELN), a radical group that openly fought the Bolivian government and viewed her as a vital member.

This is what makes the book so fascinating: the Ertls were not just bystanders but directly connected to two of the most pivotal moments of the 20th century—Nazi Germany and the revolutionary struggles in Latin America. No wonder Hasbún was compelled to write about them.

I knew that Che and Fidel had a profound impact in Latin America in the 1960s, and we can link historic events in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina that happened as a consequence of the communists coming to power in Havana in 1958. But I had heard very little about the Bolivian part of it.

And so it was. In October of 1967, Che Guevara was captured and executed in the region of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. In Affections, Rodrigo Hasbún ties this story back to Monika, one of the daughters.

I’m trying to keep spoilers light here, but actually, I wish I had known all of this before reading the book—it would have made the story more interesting. I had some trouble following the audiobook, mostly because I really disliked one of the narrators (the voice was so monotone that I checked to see if it was AI-generated). Also, the distinction between the three daughters in the beginning was hard to follow via audio.

But as for the historical aspect, it’s an excellent book. It helped shape the history of Bolivia for me and situate the country within the main events of the 20th century. Overall, a great read if you’re curious about the world like I am.

*I’ve been reflecting lately on the use of the word “Revolution” to describe the events of 1958 in Cuba, and I tried to use a more neutral term here. Maybe this is a topic for another post.