Random Things Tours: Betty Boo by Claudia Piñeiro translated by Miranda France

I got to read my first book by Claudia Piñeiro a couple of months ago - Elena Sabe/Elena Knows - and found completely obsolete to attempt a genre classification as it does uses different angles and plot layers that makes the book unique yet avoiding any categories.

However, nothing prepared me for the encounter with Betty Boo, translated from Argentinian Spanish by author and translator Miranda France. Set in the journalistic milieu of Buenos Aires, it is built around a crime discovered in the rich and famous compound La Maravillosa. Journalist and thriller writer Nurit - nicknamed Betty Boo for her ressemblance with the iconic cartoon with almost a similar name (actually Boop) - is assigned to cover the case. However, she may get involved at a certain extent in solving the crime, while getting entangled into a love story she is fighting to keep.

But there is definitely more to the story than crime and love: the tormented social and political history of Argentina is brought into question, not only as a background but as part of a reality that it determines at a significant extent. And last but not least, there is a subtext focused on women stories and social and age limitations.

There are so many elements that often happened to completely forget that I should focus on a crime story. It seemed that I also forgot the beauty of the stories within the stories, that used to fascinate me many years ago when I was discovering and exploring the Argentinian writers.  

Betty Boo - which was turned into a movie Betibu - is a beautifully intelligent book, a pleasure to read, an invitation to reconsider literature as a whole experience, beyond different classifications that in fact, may not have anything to do with the literary talent and craftsmanship. Besides being keen on watching the movie as well, this book inspired me to get back more often to the Argentinian literature but also to explore more of Piñeiro´s books. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own