Elena knows her daughter didn´t commit suicide… Elena knows she was murdered.
Elena knows her daughter Rita did not commit suicide… she knows that she was murdered. Never mind that Rita was found hanging from the bell tower at the church she used to attend, Elena refuses to believe this was the cause of her daughter’s death; she fails to believe that Rita would have climbed up the tower on that particular rainy night. Elena knows that Rita was deathly afraid of lightning storms, thus wouldn’t have ever gone near it. Because of this, Elena won´t give up, although the investigation is considered closed.
Elena knows she must come to terms with the fact that her mind and body no longer coordinate. Her brain could tirelessly send signals to her neurons, but if she has not taken her medication, her extremities will never respond. Thus, Elena knows she is rigidly controlled by this schedule, ephemeral and constantly fleeting, which is why she must always consider where she will be when her medication wears off. To make matters worse, she is absolutely dependent on her caregivers.
However, among all the things that Elena knows and can do nothing about, there is one thing that overrules the rest: she is determined to take charge of this and unveil the culprit.
She regularly visits Inspector Avellaneda, who helps her investigate the case further, going over the list of possible suspects, but all evidences lead to a dead end. Trapped by her disease, Elena knows she is not the best suited to lead the investigation, but she owes it to Rita, the person who has cared for her these past years as her painful illness worsens. Elena knows she must undertake this long daily journey – a journey that in her case takes much longer – fighting against her own body. Despite her misfortune, Elena does not surrender. Regardless of the fact that she can hardly walk, that she is barely able to keep her own head upright, that she drools uncontrollably or that she cannot even get up from a chair without assistance. Parkinson’s consumes her body, but not her will. Nothing will stop her because, at the end of this journey, Elena knows she will uncover the truth.
This story is about that complicated but hopeful journey, reflecting the raw and heartbreaking reality of Parkinson’s disease.
RELEVANT DATA: In Elena Knows, Claudia Piñeiro reflects upon women’s bodies, and to what point we decide what happens to it. She also speaks of illness, pain and the responsibility of having children. All of which is within a detective storyline that constantly pushes the story forward. The novel was the recipient of the LiBeraturpreis Award for best novel written by a woman and was published by Alfaguara after being awarded the Pepe Carvalho Noir Novel Award.
Claudia Piñeiro, known as The Argentinian Lady of the Noir Novel, is one of the most acclaimed voices of contemporary Latin American literature. She is the most translated Argentinian author after Borges and Cortázar, and one of the most adapted Spanish-speaking authors for film and TV today.
Among her many awards are the Clarín Award, the Latin American Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, the Pléyade Award, the ACE Award, the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Award, finalist of the Planeta Argentina Award and the La Sonrisa Vertical Award, as well as having been selected in the Edebé Publishing Contest.
What the critics have said:
“As the book progresses, it produces a painful intimacy and a deeper connection to Elena’s story. A connection that allows the reader to come to the end of that weary journey, just as Elena did, needing the truth and assistance in dealing with Rita’s disappearance.” En tus libros me colé (literary blog)
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: Film.
LANGUAGES AVAILABLE: Spanish, English, French, Polish, Dutch.
