Elena, an aging woman in Argentina, navigates the physical rigidity caused by advanced Parkinson's disease to investigate her daughter Rita’s death. While authorities rule the hanging a suicide, Elena insists a murderer took advantage of a rainy afternoon—the only time the devout Rita would never enter a church belfry. Her investigation depends on the timing of her Levodopa medication, which provides brief windows of mobility. As she travels across the city to find a woman from Rita’s past, her body gradually fails her, revealing the suffocating nature of their former co-dependent relationship.
Readers who value psychological realism and clinical snapshots of chronic illness will find this narrative useful. It appeals to those interested in the politics of the female body, specifically regarding reproductive rights and the burden of caregiving. The book offers a stark look at how physical disability dictates a person's autonomy and how religious guilt shapes family dynamics. Readers walk away with a cold understanding of the friction between a mother’s perception of her child and the reality of that child’s private life.
Inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2007
- Language
- EN
