Reviews with content warning for Grief - Η Ελένα ξέρει

4.75 stars

I'm so emotional now after reading that i don't know where to start...

The first 40 pages were very slow. Throughout the book, the author dropped hints and clues here and there for us to guess. This is more of a descriptive and slow-built book rather than a thriller. I started thinking that this is a crime, mystery, thriller novella but i was wrong. This is more of a mysterious, deeply-meaningful book that makes us think, analyze and wreck us from inside out.

I give 4.75 stars because it's a bit annoying to read dialogues that are all on the same lines. There's no new line for each of the character's speeches and it's hard to follow for me. Other than that, this is a short but very powerful novella about the complexity of human psychology, complicated mother-daughter relationship, different perceptions on

abortion

, caregiving, individual freedom... Reading this makes me think and not sure what is right and wrong, what to do and not to do and it's a good thing to think.

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sshraddha141's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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mmccombs's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I thought I knew where this story would go and it completely took me by surprise. This was one of the finest uses of the “unreliable” narrator I’ve seen, I was right along with Elena for the entire book, wholeheartedly believing her perspective until the final scenes that make you realize that her “knowing” is not all that it seems. This was a book about bodies and who gets to control them, whether it be by others or even an illness. It explores disability while using Elena’s experience with Parkinson’s as a device to further limit the scope of what the audience is able to perceive, resulting in a restrictive feel to the narrative. This book used flashbacks very well, and the organization of the plot into Elena’s pill schedule was effective. For such a short book, this sure does pack a punch, I would highly recommend for great translation work and a wonderfully nuanced story about motherhood, disability, and what we are truly able to “know” about ourselves and others.

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mik_yekcuts's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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isabezza's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

3.5

Elena Knows is a heart wrenching novel about motherhood and how this influences a woman's perception of the truth. It's award winning quality is evident in the well-written contrast between Elena's assertive, forceful mind and her deteriorating, unreliable body. However, this novel was particularly challenging as central characters (who we likely wish to respect) have opposing values questionable stances towards women's issues which contradict most readers' opinions. Whilst this made the story evermore insightful and reflective, it increased the challenge of reading.

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