Elena Knows (originally Elena sabe) is a 2007 novel by the Argentinian author Claudia Piñeiro, translated in English by Frances Riddle. It is Piñeiro's third novel and tells the story of a elderly woman trying to solve the mystery of her daughter's apparent suicide despite suffering from a debilitating disease.

It won and was nominated for multiple awards, including being shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize. A film adaptation directed by Anahí Berneri was released on Netflix in 2023.

Plot

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Elena is an elderly woman with advanced Parkinson's disease who sets out early one morning to find a woman named Isabel, who may be her last hope in solving the mystery behind her daughter's death. Rita, Elena's only child, had been found hanged a short time before inside the church she used to attend, but although everyone is convinced that her death was a suicide, Elena refuses to accept this hypothesis, since Rita had been terrified of thunderstorms her entire life, so Elena knew it was impossible that her daughter would have gone to church on the rainy morning she was found dead.

Due to the ravages of her illness, the journey represents a titanic effort for Elena, so every part of it must be carefully timed to align with the effects of her medication. First, she must take the ten o'clock train from Burzaco to Plaza Constitución, then a taxi to Belgrano, and from there she must look for the house where she hopes Isabel still lives. When she finally finds it, Elena receives several painful revelations that she did not expect. And as she begins to better understand the complexity of the events surrounding her daughter's death, the certainties she possessed at the beginning of the story gradually begin to disappear.

Themes

Reception

Film Adaptation

In November 2023, a film adaptation of the novel was released on Netflix. It is directed by Anahí Berneri and stars Mercedes Morán and Érica Rivas.^[5]

References