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A review by ksatko
On a Night of a Thousand Stars by Andrea Yaryura Clark
5.0
I’m always a sucker for anything related to South American and Latin American history, and la Guerra Sucia (the Dirty War) is something that isn’t taught much in classrooms around the United States. Picking this book up seemed like a no brainer.
I really enjoyed the plot and the contrast between past and present; the chapters always ended at a point where I just had to continue reading. However, there were a lot of hints given throughout the book, so I was able to guess where the story was going a few chapters before the big reveal happened.
I also didn’t love how quickly the ending happened and how little is expanded upon in the epilogue. I wanted there to be this growing connection between the past and present towards the end of the book, and in some ways there was. However, I felt like Paloma, who narrates the present chapters really didn’t take time to understand and empathize with the those who experienced the past (ie. Her father, mother, etc). I think we as readers could experience that empathy because we were privy to their thoughts and actions in the past, so I would have loved to see Paloma get some of that as well and at least begin to understand what her family had been through. In some ways she does, but I don’t want to reveal anything specific!
Overall would most definitely read if you like realistic fiction and would like to know a bit more about Argentinian history in the 1970s!
I really enjoyed the plot and the contrast between past and present; the chapters always ended at a point where I just had to continue reading. However, there were a lot of hints given throughout the book, so I was able to guess where the story was going a few chapters before the big reveal happened.
I also didn’t love how quickly the ending happened and how little is expanded upon in the epilogue. I wanted there to be this growing connection between the past and present towards the end of the book, and in some ways there was. However, I felt like Paloma, who narrates the present chapters really didn’t take time to understand and empathize with the those who experienced the past (ie. Her father, mother, etc). I think we as readers could experience that empathy because we were privy to their thoughts and actions in the past, so I would have loved to see Paloma get some of that as well and at least begin to understand what her family had been through. In some ways she does, but I don’t want to reveal anything specific!
Overall would most definitely read if you like realistic fiction and would like to know a bit more about Argentinian history in the 1970s!