Summary:
Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother’s birth through the lens of his camera. Photography–and fate–introduce him to Ana, whose family’s interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War–as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel’s photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.
My take: 4 looks
I borrowed this one for vacation, and finished it so quickly that I had to borrow a book found in the condo. That’s saying a lot for a book over 500 pages. Once I got into the lives of the main characters, I was hooked.
The nuance of the story, for me, was the differences in lifestyle and attitudes of Americans versus Spaniards. The fear of the workers, trying to avoid any sort of attention at all, was in stark contrast to the freedoms of the Americans. Add to that poverty and plenty on both sides, and the two dimensions of storytelling becomes much more.
I won’t go into detail about the characters or storyline. What shines here is the storytelling by Sepetys. She takes a horrible time in Spanish history and transforms it into a personal experience. From the gestapo-like police force to the “lost children of Francoism”, the storyline weaves delicate threads of fiction with the loom of fact. What comes from this is a very touching story of how all facets of life were lived in this moment in time.
Highly recommended.
