When Samuel receives a call out of the blue about the death of his lover, Clara, his own numbing existence seems about to come to an 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 a new life, Samuel starts down a path of lies until he can no longer distinguish between real and invented.

José Ovejero won the 2013 Premio Alfaguara for his novel La invencion del amor (Inventing Love), one of the most prestigious literary awards in the Spanish language.