Homeland

Translated from the Spanish by Alfred MacAdam

2021 Longlist

In the heart of Spain’s Basque Country, two friends, Miren and Bittori, find their worlds upended by violence. When Bittori’s husband runs afoul of the separatist organization ETA, a terrorist group of which Miren’s son, Joxe Mari, is a member, both women must choose between their friendship and their families. Moving back and forth in time and told through the eyes of a rich cast of characters from all walks of life, Fernando Aramburu’s dazzling novel probes the lasting legacy of conflict. A work of nearly unbearable suspense, Homeland is a searing examination of truth, reconciliation, and coming to terms with history.

About the Author

Fernando Aramburu, born in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1959 is considered one of the most remarkable writers in the Spanish language. He won the Ramón Gómez de la Serna Prize in 1997, the Euskadi Prize in 2001, and, for his short story collection Los peces de la amargura, the Mario Vargas Llosa NH Short Story Award, the Dulce Chacón Prize, and the Prize of the Spanish Royal Academy in 2008. His novel Años lentos won the Premio Tusquets de Novela in 2011 and was named Book of the Year in 2012 by the booksellers of Madrid. But it is his novel Patria(Homeland), a stunning success among readers and winner of unanimous acclaim (National Prize for Literature, National Critics Prize, Euskadi Prize, Francisco Umbral Prize, Strega European Prize, Tomasi di Lampedusa Prize, among many others) that has distinguished him as a writer who will leave his mark on our era.

Librarian’s Comments

Looking into the social dynamics and psychological conditions of turning to extremism. Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Bonn, Germany