The Time of the Flies

Claudia Piñeiro

NOVEL. ALFAGUARA, 2022, 408 PAGES

«Plenty of women have been betrayed by men, but not nearly so many have been scorned by both their mother and daughter.»

Inés is released from prison fifteen years after murdering Charo, her ex-husband's lover. Her life has changed, and so has society: feminism is on the rise, same-sex marriage and abortion have been legalized and inclusive language is ever more popular. Inés was a traditional housewife but motherhood wasn't a happy experience for her and she realizes that she needs to be practical and adapt to her new situation. As hard as that might be.
She joins the only friend she made in prison, La Manca, and together they start a business with two facets: she becomes an exterminator while her partner sets up as a private detective. Like a Buenos Aires Thelma and Louise, Inés and La Manca are forced to navigate a series of challenges in a society that is new to them both. To do so, they will have to reinvent themselves.
One day, one of Inés's customers, Mrs Bonar, suggests an unsettling exchange: one that seems inspired by the murky past and destined to go dangerously awry. But it might also be life-changing.
The Time of the Flies is the new, eagerly awaited novel by Claudia Piñeiro, who returns to the character of Inés, the memorable protagonist of Tuya, in a story of courage and friendship that also provides a vivid portrait of contemporary society.

 

 

«[Claudia Piñeiro] has managed, once again, to stretch the margins of the noir genre, build a criminal plot without fail and denounce the injustices committed, above all, against women.»

«A novel [...] that skillfully plays with the reader's expectations and fears.»

El Mundo

 

«In short,The Time of the Flies (Alfaguara, 2022) exhibits the intellectual, artistic and creative challenges encountered when facing the destruction of archetypes typical of certain times, where resistance and opposition are very intense and come from all sectors».

Cine y Literatura

 

«Piñeiro has demonstrated novel by novel that she's not afraid of complex stories full of knots to unravel. If in Catedrales she presented us with a crime almost impossible to assimilate, here she risks a triple somersault without a net. The plot twists to unsustainable limits, and the author emerges victorious due to her narrative skill».

Marta Marne, El Periódico

 

«With her latest novel, Claudia Piñeiro evolves, deepening both her characters and the social depth in which her stories unfold».

Zenda

 

«A detective novel that corroborates this writer's experience with the genre and her capacity to travel to the darkest corners of the human soul, always from multiple perspectives» 

Hermeneuta Revista Cultural

 

«Piñeiro interweaves the stories of Inés and Manca in a kind of suburban Thelma and Louise, with a chorus of women who debate subjects such as the achievements of feminism, inclusive language and abortion, among other matters»

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PUBLISHED BY: Spanish worldwide PRH | English worldwide CHARCO PRESS | German UNIONSVERLAG | Italy FELTRINELLI  | Mozambique TRINTA ZERO NOVE | Poland SONIA DRAGA

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