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Following the publication of the CVR's Final Report (2003), a "memory boom" has occurred in Peruvian fiction, with novels such as Alonso Cueto's The Blue Hour (2005) and Iván Thays's A Place Called Dog's Ear (2008), both of which have received international acclaim.
However, these novels have been criticized for perpetuating a colonialist vision and a distant representation of the armed conflict (Quiroz, 2014; Cárdenas, 2016).
In contrast, an alternative narrative has emerged that challenges the hegemonic discourse, with works such as Claudia Salazar's The Blood of Dawn (2013), José Carlos Agüero's The Rendidos (2015), and Lurgio Gavilán's Letter to Lieutenant Shogun (2019). These novels have been valued for their ability to portray trauma from a critical perspective.
This research analyzes the representation of horror in The Blood of Dawn, exploring its language, fragmentary structure, and representation of sexual violence as a form of horror writing. From a discursive and interpretive perspective, it will examine how the novel questions historical memory and political violence in Peru, engaging with testimonies from the TRC and challenging dominant narratives.