Betty Boo by Claudia Pineiro
When a Buenos Aires industrialist is found dead at his home in La Maravillosa, an exclusive gated community, the novelist Nurit Iscar (nicknamed Betty Boo after Betty Boop) is contracted by a former lover, the editor of a national newspaper, to cover the story.
Nurit teams up with the paper’s veteran, but now demoted, crime reporter. Soon they realize that they are falling in love, which complicates matters deliciously.
The murder is no random crime. Five members of the Argentine industrial and political elite, who all went to the same boarding-school, have died in apparently innocent circumstances. The Maravillosa murder is just the last in the series and those in power in Argentina are not about to allow all this brought to light. Too much is at stake.
About the author
Claudia Piñeiro, formerly a journalist and playwright, is the author of prize-winning literary crime novels that are all bestsellers in Latin America and have been translated into many languages. She lives in Buenos Aires.
The Translator
Miranda France is the author of two acclaimed volumes of travel writing: Don Quixote's
Delusions, a Cervantean tour through the Spanish psyche; and Bad Times in Buenos Aires, which explored the psychological condition of sullen resignation and impotent rage the Argentinians know as bronca. She has also written the novel Hill Farm and translated Claudia Piñeiro’s other novels into English.
Review
‘Betty Boo’ is an Argentinian ‘whodunit’ that is a slow burn of a novel that creeps along until it has got its hooks well and truly into the reader. It isn’t until about 50% into the book that the action picks up and some solving gets done but the book before then is all about building the characters and settings and I enjoy this type of book immensely.
It can take awhile to get a feel for the book as the spoken dialogue runs into each characters response with no line breaks etc. However, once you realise this and go with it, it turns out to feel quite natural. The reader feels as if they are in the room where the action is taking place!
This book is more about the characters than the crime. I loved every character that was on was the ‘team’ - Brera, Crime Boy, and of course Betty Boo! I particularly enjoyed the section which delved into the historical background of the eponymous Betty Boo and it was fascinating, especially for me as I am obsessed with flappers! I also thought the vulnerability of Nurit was extremely well portrayed - I couldn't imagine how an author would feel receiving a negative review of a book it would be devastating. I also loved the passage when she is taking stock over how her body looks in her 50s - a very frank look at how we look at ourselves as we grow older. Brilliant!
This was the first time I thought I had read this author but no I when I was reading a bit about them I realised that I had just read ‘Elena Knows’ which was on the longlisr for the International Book Prize this year. They are completely different stylistically writing wise and it has made me understand how talented a writer she is! Completely different but equally as good.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
