Why did you come back every summer
Description
A fractured account of family abuse, secrets, and the cost of pursuing the truth.
In the most private spaces, the most intimate betrayals occur. Belén López Peiró places us squarely in the tenderest of times—young teenagehood, in a home about to be ruptured by sexual assault. In this home, for this young woman, your assailant is your uncle, and also a police commissioner. The people who shelter you will reject you: your mother is his sister-in-law, your beloved aunt his wife and your cousin and friend his daughter. And the truth of what happened will depend entirely on you.
Why Did You Come Back Every Summer is a document of uncertainty, self-doubt, and the appearance of progress when there is none. A chorus of voices interrupt and overtake each other; interviews and reports are filed. The truth will be heard but how and by whom? Loyalties will shift and slip. And certain questions have no easy answers. What do you owe to your family? What do they owe you? How far will you go to get yourself back?
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Published Reviews
Publisher's Weekly Review
López Peiró documents in her potent debut the sexual abuse allegations she brought against her police commissioner uncle, blending excerpts from actual case documents with fictional narration from various family members. Belén is 22 when she files the criminal complaint in Buenos Aires against her 47-year-old uncle, claiming that he abused her multiple times when she was an adolescent. In vignettes, various relatives chime in on the situation and think back on their own interactions with both the accuser and the accused. Taken together, these brief scenes spotlight the ways in which a clan is disrupted when skeletons emerge from the closet. Fractures appear as family members pick sides, and it isn't long before other secrets, including more potential victims, emerge. Peppered throughout are statements from lawyers, doctors, and others working on the case, as well as documents from Argentina's Department of Justice, including psych evaluations and affidavits. López Peiró writes with authority, navigating the novel's tough subject matter while avoiding clichéd pitfalls. Fearless and distinctive, this is vital reading. (Apr.)
Publishers Weekly Reviews
López Peiró documents in her potent debut the sexual abuse allegations she brought against her police commissioner uncle, blending excerpts from actual case documents with fictional narration from various family members. Belén is 22 when she files the criminal complaint in Buenos Aires against her 47-year-old uncle, claiming that he abused her multiple times when she was an adolescent. In vignettes, various relatives chime in on the situation and think back on their own interactions with both the accuser and the accused. Taken together, these brief scenes spotlight the ways in which a clan is disrupted when skeletons emerge from the closet. Fractures appear as family members pick sides, and it isn't long before other secrets, including more potential victims, emerge. Peppered throughout are statements from lawyers, doctors, and others working on the case, as well as documents from Argentina's Department of Justice, including psych evaluations and affidavits. López Peiró writes with authority, navigating the novel's tough subject matter while avoiding clichéd pitfalls. Fearless and distinctive, this is vital reading. (Apr.)
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