The She-Devil in the Mirror | 
A book chosen for the author's nationality and setting, but the narrative voice was so brilliantly done it was one of my best reads of the year.
#12DaysofChristmas
A perfectly crafted monologue of a wealthy, elite San Salvadorian gossiping about her best friend‘s murder. I loved her tirades about the police‘s attempts to besmirch Olga Maria's impeccable reputation all the while detailing OM‘s extramarital affairs and mixed with barbed comments about the victim‘s husband, lovers, family and occasional snotty remarks about others‘ improprieties. The end twist was more unsettling than the one for which I hoped.
pickOlga Maria has been killed and her best friend Laura must find out who did it. In a manic and chattery account she tells about her investigation in possible suspects and she reveals about corruption and impunity in #ElSalvador. As her anger and panic grow, Laura talks faster and faster. It is kind of funny if it weren‘t so sad.
#pop23 #shortestTBRbook #52Booksclub23 #Under200pages #Booked2023 #GiftedByAFriend #ReadingTheAmericas2023 🇸🇻
LaraReads, KarenUK, Cinfhen, BarbaraTheBibliophage, CarolynM, Smarkies, Cortg, LeeRHarry, Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick, BookBelle84, jenniferw88, Deblovestoread, Librarybelle, triplem80, AshleyHoss820, Read4life, rmaclean4, Bluebird, alisiakae, squirrelbrain, ravenlee, RaeLovesToRead
pickWow this book was exhausting. No paragraphs or dialogue and a non-stop talker. Interesting history/politics of San Salvador intertwined in the mystery. I honestly don‘t know what happened at the end - is it a cliffhanger or did I miss something?
#readharderchallenge - #ownvoices Central America
Not 12 hours after receiving my itinerary, I've ordered half of my books and planned for the other half. 🙈
#passportlitsy
pickAs part of an around the world challenge this was my trip to El Salvador. A challenging read, as the inner monologue of a murder victims best friend which gradually descends into madness and reflections on the political effect of the civil war. It also touched on crimes against women albeit some contradictory scenes. Definitely interesting and worth reading if you like exploring translated fiction.
