// Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro

In many ways, Elena reminded me of my grandfather. He was 89, a man with a weak heart (literally) who was barely able to wear footwear on his own and yet tried with all his might to do it himself. He was a proud man, one who was always punctual and wanted things to be done his way. His staunch rules began to quaver as he grew old. Slowly, he had to rely on his daughters for something as simple as eating. Once, when he had had a heart surgery and was still spending nights at the hospital, he had the desire to read that day's newspaper. His fingers trembled, making it impossible for him to fold it neatly but when I tried to help, he refused to accept it. He wanted to control his body even when it fought against him with all its might.

Elena too, fights every single day to win against her body. In this battle of mind vs body, she is a bloody good fighter.

When her daughter, Rita is found dead hanging from the church belfry, Elena is convinced that she was murdered. Now in her sixties, Elena is highly dependent on her daughter for something as simple as cutting her nails. Her body now houses Parkinson's, an unwanted guest that Elena is fed up of. She finds herself physically unable to investigate her daughter's murder and so she heads out one day to find someone who can.

The story takes place in just one day with Elena reliving her relationship with her daughter. It's in no way full of sweetness. This short book of just 200 pages packs a punch and makes one think.

Translated from Spanish, this book will remain my favourite of this year.