Books from Argentina — The Book Roads

Claudia Piñeiro

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.

2007