Aside From My Heart, All Is Well
Colombia

Aside From My Heart, All Is Well

by Héctor Abad

Spirituality & Faith Literary Fiction 2026

Summary

Can a man devoted to God still hunger for everything life has to offer? Luis Córdoba is a Colombian Catholic priest with an extraordinary appetite for art, music, food, and human connection. A passionate film critic and opera enthusiast, he has built a life rich in intellectual pleasures and friendships. But when a serious heart condition leaves him waiting for a transplant, he must abandon his familiar home and move in with a female friend and her children. Surrounded by the unpredictable warmth of family life, Luis begins to reconsider the boundaries between faith and desire, duty and happiness, solitude and belonging. Narrated by his closest friend, fellow priest Aurelio Sánchez, the novel blends affection, humour, and melancholy into a tender portrait of a man confronting his mortality. Inspired by a real Colombian priest and film critic, this moving story celebrates the beauty of ordinary pleasures and the connections that make life worth living.

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Country
Colombia
South America
About the author
Héctor Abad
Héctor Abad

Héctor Abad Faciolince (born in 1958 in Medellín, Colombia) is a Colombian novelist, essayist, journalist, and translator celebrated for his thoughtful explorations of memory, family, violence, and morality. He studied modern languages and literature at the University of Turin in Italy and has translated works by prominent Italian writers, including Umberto Eco. His writing often examines the relationship between private lives and Colombia’s turbulent political history. His internationally acclaimed memoir, Oblivion: A Memoir (El olvido que seremos, 2006), recounts the life and assassination of his father, a physician and human-rights activist murdered by paramilitaries in 1987. The book received widespread critical recognition and was adapted into a feature film. Other notable works include The Farm (La Oculta) and Angosta. Abad’s literary voice combines compassion, intellectual curiosity, and a profound appreciation for the fragile beauty of human life.

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Details
Published
2026
Author
Héctor Abad