A review by ericj32
Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This novel opens with the mystery of Elena’s daughter’s suspicious death - she’s found hanging in the belfry of the local church.  The death is ruled a suicide by the police, but that doesn’t make any sense to Elena, so she’s determined to figure out what really happened.  The chapters alternate between Elena’s current search for answers and flashbacks that provide context.  The whole narrative encompasses just one day, following Elena’s excruciatingly slow journey via multiple modes of transportation to ask an old acquaintance for assistance in investigating her daughter’s death.  The identity of this acquaintance and Elena’s connection to her is kept a secret from the reader until the end of the novel, when Elena finally arrives on her doorstep.  The ending is somewhat surprising and emotionally heavy.  In some ways, it seemed to introduce new themes that didn’t feel very connected to the rest of the narrative.  But overall, the story was engaging and the characters felt frustratingly lifelike in their flaws and contradictions.  It also gives you an intimate insight into the experiences of living with Parkinson’s disease and also the rationale of why a woman may want and need access to abortion services.  
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