El Tiempo Es Un Canalla / A Visit from the Goon Squad

Bennie Salazar is an aging record executive and Sasha is his troubled young assistant, two figures at the center of a sprawling narrative that moves far beyond their own lives. Their stories, and the stories of those they touch, unfold across decades and continents, from the raw energy of 1970s punk rock to a vision of the near future. The novel is built from thirteen interconnected narratives that leap back and forth in time, capturing characters at pivotal, often vulnerable, moments. Each chapter offers a new perspective, a different voice, and a distinct style, creating a mosaic of lives linked by music, ambition, and regret.

This is a story about the relentless passage of time - the "goon squad" of the title - and its transformative effect on identity, relationships, and the search for redemption. Through a cast of self-destructive yet compelling characters, the book explores the interplay of memory and survival, the hunger for human connection, and the ways in which even fleeting encounters can irrevocably shape a life. It is an examination of how people change, how they stay the same, and the powerful undertow of the past that pulls them toward unexpected futures.