Purgatorio

En el invierno de 1976 Simón Cardoso es detenido por los militares y nunca más aparece. Treinta años más tarde, su mujer, Emilia Dupuy, se paraliza al reencontrarlo en New Jersey. El mundo, que se había desmoronado con la tragedia, recobra su luz. Excepto por un detalle: para el ausente el tiempo no ha transcurrido. A partir de este enigma se enlaza la ansiedad del amor perdido y recuperado con una reconstrucción magistral de la irrealidad siniestra creada por el régimen.

Library Journal

STARIn his latest novel, Argentinean Eloy Martínez explores the trauma caused by Argentina's brutal dictatorship and its aftermath. Emilia Dupuy is the daughter of a leading man of letters and supporter of one of Argentina's worst regimes. As she and her husband, Simón, become victims of the intolerance and paranoia of the military regime, Emilia finds it difficult to come to terms with her father's ever closer dealings with the president and his generals. Soon after, Emilia and Simón are sent to map the remote region of Argentina. There they come across human beings who distress and shock them: are they victims of torture, runaway inmates of an insane asylum, or just beggars? Emilia is spared the worst, thanks perhaps to her father's powerful position, but Simón is not so fortunate; Emilia refuses to believe reports that he was tortured and shot, and for the next 30 years she tries to follow any clues that might lead her closer to him. Bringing together disparate experiences of collective pain, complicity, and culpability, Eloy Martínez creates a dazzling, complex, and beautifully crafted novel not unlike one of Jorge Luis Borges's labyrinths. Highly recommended for all bookstores and libraries.—Catherine Rendón, Savannah, GA