History and fiction
The book page explains which places and processes belong to history and which are part of the novel's fiction.
Read the FAQ
For book clubs and reading communities
Reading guide
UNQUY, by Laura Voglino
An open table for a conversation about what we choose to do when a story—or another person—asks us to see differently.
Before you begin
A novel where the intimate meets history
UNQUY is set in the Northern Andes in 1811, during the wars of independence. Inés, a healer from Tilcara, must decide what to do with an inherited gift and a truth that may put lives at risk.
The principal characters are fictional. The historical setting—the Alto Perú, the Quebrada de Humahuaca, the Jujuy Exodus, the montoneras, and Güemes's resistance—belongs to the history of the region.
This guide is not meant to close down interpretation. It offers questions so that each group can find its own answers.
Questions for conversation
Ten ways into UNQUY
- What does it mean for Inés to “see” what others conceal? Is her gift a privilege, a burden, or both?
- The novel calls the inherited gift Unquy—illness. Why might a valuable ability bear that name?
- What changes when Inés chooses to intervene in the market at Tupiza? What other paths might she have taken?
- Sebastián and Inés make choices that affect other people. Can the suffering of a few be justified to protect many? How does one live with a decision even when one believes it was necessary?
- What place does love have between Inés and Sebastián? Is it refuge, risk, responsibility, or a form of choosing?
- What does the novel reveal about women in wartime? What forms of power do people possess when official accounts do not name them?
- The landscape is more than a backdrop. How do altitude, roads, the market, and the Quebrada shape the characters' decisions?
- What is the relationship between history, memory, and identity? What changes when independence is remembered from the margins?
- The Spanish edition uses voseo. How might linguistic choices shape intimacy, distance, and historical atmosphere?
- What stayed with you after the final image? Which questions remain open after the book ends?
A conversation with the author
Invite Laura Voglino to your book club
Laura is available for virtual conversations with book clubs, libraries, and educational communities.
She can discuss the research process, regional history, voseo, the English translation, and the ethical questions that run through the novel.
Your conversation can include
- A Zoom conversation
- Reader questions
- Historical context for 1811–1812
- Writing and translating UNQUY
Keep exploring
Discover the world of UNQUY
Press and interview
Hear Laura Voglino talk about the novel and find a concise description to share.
Go to press and interviews