José Ovejero

Winner of the Alfaguara Prize (2013)

When Samuel receives a call out of the blue about the death of his lover Clara, his own numbing existence seems about to end. Does it matter that he never knew Clara? And, if he invents a past for his love and his loss, could he even fake his way through her funeral? Unable to pass up the chance at leading a new life, Samuel leads himself down a path of lies, until he can no longer distinguish between what is real and what he has invented.

From one of Spain's most renowned living authors comes an existential thriller of first mistaken and then stolen identity, which brilliantly exposes the fictions people create to sustain themselves in a dehumanising modern world.

"Inventing Love reveals the transformational force of the imagination and its ability to construct new realities." Manuel Rivas, Chairman of the Alfaguara Prize Jury

"You read Ovejero with fascination and trepidation because he always takes to the edge of the abyss. He is one of the best writers of his generation." Rosa Montero, El Pais

"An excellent novel, profound but accessible and magnificently written." El Cultural