Homeland

'If a better Spanish novel than Homeland has appeared in the past 10 years, I'd like to hear about it . . . An uplifting tale, beautifully crafted and full of feeling.' Guardian Miren and Bittori have been best friends all their lives, growing up in the same small town in the north of Spain. With limited interest in politics, the terrorist threat posed by ETA seems to affect them little. When Bittori's husband starts receiving threatening letters from the violent group, however - demanding money, accusing him of being a police informant - she turns to her friend for help. But Miren's loyalties are torn: her son Joxe Mari has just been recruited to the group as a terrorist and to denounce them as evil would be to condemn her own flesh and blood. Tensions rise, relationships fracture, and events race towards a violent, tragic conclusion . . . Fernando Aramburu's Homeland is a gripping story and devastating exploration of the meaning of family, friendship, what it's like to live in the shadow of terrorism, and how countries and their people can possibly come to terms with their violent pasts. 'It's been a long time since I've read a book that was so persuasive and moving, so intelligently conceived.' Mario Vargas Llosa