The Fragility of Bodies - Softcover

Sergio Olguin; Miranda France

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1912242192 ISBN 13: 9781912242191

Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press, 2019

Synopsis

When she hears about the suicide of a local train driver who has jumped off the roof of a block of flats, leaving a suicide note confessing to four mortal 'accidents' on the train tracks, she decides to investigate. For the police the case is closed (suicide is suicide), for Veronica it is the beginning of a journey that takes her into an unfamiliar world of grinding poverty, junkie infested neighborhoods, and train drivers on commuter lines haunted by the memory of bodies hit at speed by their locomotives in the middle of the night. Aided by a train driver informant, a junkie in rehab and two street kids willing to risk everything for a can of Coke, she uncovers a group of men involved in betting on working-class youngsters convinced to play Russian roulette by standing in front of fast-coming trains to see who endures the longest. With bodies of children crushed under tons of steel, those of adults yielding to relentless desire, the resolution of the investigation reveals the deep bonds which unite desire and death.

About this title

Review:

"It is rare that a crime writer gives so much to his readers. Much more than a simple investigation, it allows one to penetrate deep into the psyche of the characters, and plays with different points of view with great virtuosity. Bodies suffer or enjoy, fight against violence of all sorts or submit to it, the mere reflection of a society never certain of winning or losing"-Espaces Latinos

"This novel introduces Veronica Rosenthal, journalist, investigator and anti-hero in a story that grabs the reader by the throat and doesn't let go until the last period."-- Quid

"An excellent addition to the Argentine noir tradition. Veronica discovers much more than a web of corruption. She discovers her deep lust for Lucio the engine driver, and her willingness to follow him into a savage, carnal relationship, with unforeseeable consequences."-- El Dia

"A political thriller of unrelenting suspense. A reckless love story." --Diario Sur

" A Maigret willing to try anything, a bit of a sadomasochist, emotional and stubborn. A powerful novel that never lets go, that adroitly manipulates the fragility of its readers." --Casquivana

About the Author:

Sergio Olguin was born in Buenos Aires in 1967 and was a journalist before turning to fiction. Olguin has won a number of awards, among others the Premio Tusquets 2009 for his novel Oscura monotona sangre ("Dark Monotonous Blood") His books have been translated into German, French and Italian. The Fragility of Bodies is his first novel to be translated into English.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1912242192
• ISBN 13: 9781912242191
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248