Elena Knows
Argentina

Elena Knows

by Claudia Piñeiro

Summary

Elena Knows follows Elena, an elderly woman living with Parkinson’s disease, who refuses to accept the official conclusion that her daughter Rita’s death was a suicide. Determined to discover the truth, Elena undertakes a difficult journey across Buenos Aires, relying on a promise made by a woman from her past. As her physical limitations make each step increasingly challenging, her investigation becomes a confrontation with painful memories and unresolved questions about motherhood, responsibility, and personal freedom. Piñeiro combines the structure of a crime novel with an intimate examination of women’s lives in a society shaped by religious expectations and social judgement. The story challenges assumptions about disability and autonomy while revealing how family relationships can be shaped by obligation, resentment, and love.

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Claudia Piñeiro
Claudia Piñeiro

Claudia Piñeiro is an Argentine novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and journalist born in Buenos Aires in 1960. She is one of the most widely translated contemporary Argentine writers and was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize for Elena Knows.

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Published
2007
Author
Claudia Piñeiro