The Conversation in the Cathedral is a magical book. Based in 1950s Peru during the Odria dictatorship, it is the story of two long-lost associates (friends may be a bit strong of a word) who, over a series of beers, learn about the torments in each other's lives.
Aside from the ending, which I re-read whenever I need to read something 'real' -- that is, something that feels not as if it were written or observed, but something that you actually experience as you read it -- there are few scenes in the book that stand out in my memory (the book, unlike most, took me over a month to read and absorb). Perhaps one of the most chilling is a sketch of a riot. Other people who have read this book -- it was recommended to me by a clerk in a music store who saw that I was reading a relatively obscure Marques book -- have told me that they feel simpler scenes -- arguing over a pint of beer, for example -- are more affecting.
This is one of those where you'll just have to read it for yourself. Explaining what happens in this book simply would not do it justice -- it would be like saying that Ulysses is about a day in Dublin. Conversation in the Cathedral should be at the top of everyone's reading list.