Los locos mueren de viejos /The Crazy Ones die of Old Paperback – Import, 3 October 2015

I read this book for my Spanish Bookclub; how glad I am that it was selected. In a taut, sober style, using very sophisticated vocabulary, the author takes us into the mind of a child, a girl who is the object of the emotional abuse of her mother, the physical abuse of a family member, and the spiritual and all-encompassing abuse that a Machista and supremely patriarchal culture inflicts on All it’s female citizens. The response to such oppression, in this case, is that the child dissociates, becomes two, one of whom will meet violence with violence, and succumb to her tragic destiny.The author writes accurately about the situation of women in many Latin American countries, including in El Salvador, where the author has lived, and in Guatemala, where the author currently lives and works.I highly recommend this book.