On a Night of a Thousand Stars - Andrea Yaryura Clark
She read; he will read
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
Some of us are familiar with a snapshot of Argentinian history through the play/movie, Evita. This story focuses on the era of the return of Peron and subsequent military overthrow and takeover of the government in the 1970s and the stories of the desaparecidos, those murdered by right wing terrorists. The story unfolds in two timelines as Paloma, in 1998, visits Argentina and learns of her father’s history there in the late 70s. His early story is told in separate chapters. Dual timelines seems to be a very common device used by writers these days. In this case, I think it worked very well and was not at all confusing.
I thought the story started out a little “fluffy”…but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. Beautifully written, the brutality of the era and grief of the families are treated with respect. Romance, intrigue, family secrets, political suppression, man’s inhumanity to man…it’s all here.
In the last four or so years, I’ve read a lot of novels about the atrocities of World War II in various countries, as well as some of the history of Latin American countries such as Chile. I have viewed each of them as cautionary tales for our time. A particular quote cited in the book struck me. It is from Golda Meir: “One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present.”
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