Following the Río Magdalena from its source high in the Andes to its mouth on the Caribbean coast, Salama writes against stereotype and toward the rich lives of those he meets. Among them are biologists who study invasive hippopotamuses, a jeweler practicing the art of silver filigree, and a traveling librarian whose donkeys, Alfa and Beto, haul books to rural children. Joy, mourning, and humor come together in this astonishing debut, about a country too often seen as only a site of war, and a tale of lively adventure following a legendary river.