The massacre of a student demonstration in La Plaza de las Tres Culturas in the Tlatelolco district of Mexico City, on 2 October 1968 has been the subject of many texts aiming to keep “2 de octubre” alive in the collective memory. The apparent discord in the representation of the massacre in the state discourse (including media) and popular discourse can be seen as a representation of a conflict between hegemonic and posthegemonic order. The two structures are often seen as existing in an uneasy truce, where one is unable to fully realize itself and the other is not allowed to do so. This study will examine Luis Spota’s controversial novel La plaza (1972) as an example of posthegemonic text. We will focus upon the three components of posthegemonic order – affect, habit and multitude – and consider how they are represented in the interaction between the narrator/protagonist Domingo and the hostage. We will examine the relationship between affect and emotions in this interaction and consider what effect this has on the “consoling” role of fiction, as defined by Paul Ricoeur (Time and Narrative, vol. 3, 27).