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Cover of A Heart So White by Javier MariasA Heart So White
Modern · Fiction, Classics, Romance

A Heart So White

by Javier Marias
1992 · 305 pages · Fiction
Critics' pick
≈ 8 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

A newly married woman leaves a family lunch and shoots herself. Juan, newly married himself, is drawn into the mystery of his father's three marriages and the hold of family secrets.

Why it's worth reading

It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's translated from Spanish, and it's more meditation than thriller.

By the numbers

59.6Must-Read Score
  • Readers34 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller2 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

Reads as

Moving

How we rank

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Explore the best-of lists

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Quick answers

Is A Heart So White worth reading?

Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,572 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 59.6 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is A Heart So White about?

A newly married woman leaves a family lunch and shoots herself. Juan, newly married himself, is drawn into the mystery of his father's three marriages and the hold of family secrets.

How long does it take to read A Heart So White?

About 8 hours (305 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after A Heart So White?

If you liked it, try The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro, Atonement by Ian McEwan or The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera.