Twilight in Venezuela

In this singular narrative of a country that often mystifies outsiders, Osío Cabrices brings to life the pivotal moments that led Venezuela to its current state of crisis—revealing the ways any healthy democracy can begin, imperceptibly, to cave in on itself. He grew up in a free, modern, oil-rich country, while much of Latin America lived under the shadow of brutal dictatorships, and witnessed as a young journalism student the economic crisis that led to the international perception of Caracas as a haven for organized crime. And he saw the devastatingly powerful false hope the election of Hugo Chávez brought to so many of his friends, before the slow creep of authoritarianism took over of every facet of the government and economy.

Told through vivid scenes of his trips back to visit his father and other friends and relatives, after his decision to leave the country in the wake of the worsening shortages and crackdowns on press freedoms, Osío Cabrices’s fascinating, on-the-ground account of Venezuela’s contemporary history holds stark lessons for all of us.

Twilight in Venezuela reads like an unforgettable conversation with a deeply informed friend, who dispels the myths and misinformation and reveals, as few can, what it feels like when History sneaks up behind you and turns your world upside down. 

• “Narrated like a close friend would — with brutal honesty and the emotions of lived experiences — the book provides the inquisitive perspective of a reporter eager to understand the connections that created that reality…At the heart of his writing is the idea of providing a deeper and more nuanced understanding of a country that lost a quarter of its population in less than a decade — one that goes beyond the images of humanitarian emergencies, crime, repression, and economic collapse.”
  Los Angeles Times
• “[Cabrices’s] perspective is doubly interesting. On the one hand, he has access to the latest facts as editor of Caracas Chronicles… on the other hand, he’s part of the last generation who grew up in a country that still considered itself a modern democracy…writing as if talking to a friend, he makes frequent pop culture references — about movies, tv shows, and videogames… he offers a portrait of Venezuela that is human, far beyond an academic approach.”
  El País
• “It’s not a novel, though in its pages, sometimes the truth seems more like fiction. It’s a testament to country that has dissolved into unkept promises and dashed hopes, a chronicle written from afar but infused with the nostalgia of someone who lived it in the flesh.”
  El Informador
• “This is not just another book trying to explain Venezuela’s crisis…it’s well-written, by a journalist who doesn’t limit himself to a simple and uncritical account of what happened, nor to his own memories or experiences. Nor is it academic …His voice is raw and direct… it’s a complete and concise synthesis of why and how what happened in Venezuela happened, and how current dictatorship came to be.”
  The Objective