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Elena Knows

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Elena Knows

By: Claudia Piñeiro, Frances Riddle - translator
Narrated by: Sally Masterson
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About this listen

SHORTLISTED for the International Booker Prize 2022

After Rita is found dead in a church she used to attend, the official investigation into the incident is quickly closed. Her sickly mother is the only person still determined to find the culprit. Chronicling a difficult journey across the suburbs of the city, an old debt and a revealing conversation, Elena Knows unravels the secrets of its characters and the hidden facets of authoritarianism and hypocrisy in our society.

©2021 Claudia Piñeiro and Frances Riddle (P)2023 Charco Press Fiction Genre Fiction Political Women's Fiction World Literature

Critic reviews

International Booker Prize (Shortlist)

Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award—Fiction (Shortlist)

LiBeraturpreis (Winner)

"Short and stylish…a piercing commentary on mother-daughter relationships, the indignity of bureaucracy, the burdens of caregiving and the impositions of religious dogma on women."—New York Times

"A lyrical portrait of a woman unable to grieve...incisive commentary on Catholic society’s control of women’s bodies."—Publishers Weekly

"Its true brilliance, though, is in how it flips Elena’s insular daily reality into a much broader commentary on how the hypocrisy of Catholic society manifests in the lives and judgments of ordinary people. A highly accomplished and original novel, translated with great sensitivity to tone and atmosphere by Frances Riddle."—Irish Times
All stars
Most relevant
I thought this story was really well written. I was interested in the interpersonal aspects, how people develop beliefs and live by them - not just societal conditioning.
The fact that this is a Latin American story based in Argentina interested as well. I was disappointed that they didn't use a narrator capable of reading the names of places and people correctly. The city itself was an important part of the story so I don't think this is a big ask. The narration let the book down in a big way for me.

excellent story that deals with tricky sublects

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For some reason, nothing I was hearing was sticking to my brain for the first 3 chapters and I had to re listen them for 4 times! However, from the latter half I just couldn’t stop listening. All the details given in the first 3 chapters all make sense at the end. I loved it.

It all made sense at the end

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Rita and Elena are two f**ked up individuals. We meet a hilarious cast of characters along the way of a mother’s investigation into her daughters death. This book will make you laugh (chapter 15 Passage of everything the daughter does for her mother made me cry with laughter). I really enjoyed this. The narrator not so much.

Bizarre madness

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An engaging listen following Elena, whose day is timed around her Parkinson's pills, setting out on a quest. The two main characters, especially Rita, are quite cranky and cantankerous and not afraid to lock horns with the people in their lives. The effect is direct, at times amusing, at times poignant, and the author never shies away from detailing the grim daily realities of Elena's deteriorating health. Piñeiro also explores motherhood, bodily autonomy, caregiving, mortality, the church, hypocrisy, ableism and ageism, as well as an unusual portrayal of grief. The 'Elena knows' motif, repeated throughout the book, works well, I thought, and I have to say I really appreciate a well-crafted short book. For me, the book's real power, though, was in the character dynamics – masterfully drawn.

V minor: I didn't get the point of the Afterword, telling us how good the book is and reiterating everything you already know since you've just read it! (Also, the line about babies being white and soft needs fixed – an editorial oversight, I assume.)

Interesting illustration of Parkinson's & more

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