Currently reading
Eleven
A Month in the Country
A Tale of the Dispossessed: A Novel
Mesabi Pioneers
The Crusades Through Arab Eyes
Island of a Thousand Mirrors
The Blue Line: A Novel
This is an astonishing work of historical fiction, weaving together the plotline as it jumps to and fro in time with history. Julia survives the Dirty War in Argentina to continue to Paris and then America, carrying her history with her. The most vivid passages are the hardest to read -- they detail torture techniques. The plot has to jump around so that it doesn't become so nauseating we can't continue. And the current-day plotline assures us that Julia gets out. Against all odds. And even stranger and harder to believe, the baby in her womb during that torture survives. There are literary and style bits I could criticize -- it's jumpy and awkward here and there. But the rich history, as awful as it is, makes up for these shortcomings. The book opens a window on a formative piece of the history of modern Argentina and Argentinians -- this struggle, for justice long delayed, continues today. Julia, a woman, a survivor, a warrior, a mother, is the right character to bring this story to us.
I got a copy of this from First to Read.
