Synopsis
In the heart of the Basque Country, two families are torn apart by the conflicting loyalties of terrorism in this epic and heartbreaking story.
Miren and Bittori have lived side by side in a small Basque town all their lives. Their husbands play cards together, their children play and eventually go out drinking together. The terrorist threat posed by ETA seems to affect them little.
When Bittori's husband starts receiving threatening letters – demanding money, accusing him of being a police informant – she turns to her friend for help. But Miren's loyalties are torn: her son has just been recruited as a terrorist and to denounce them would be to condemn her own flesh and blood. Tensions rise, relationships fracture, and events move towards a tragic conclusion . . .
‘It's been a long time since I've read a book that was so persuasive and moving‘ – Mario Vargas Llosa, author of Time of the Hero
‘Is Aramburu the Tolstoy of the Basque country, author of a Spanish language War and Peace?‘ – Guardian
Homeland by Fernando Aramburu is an international bestseller, longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award 2021. Set in Spain's Basque region, this gripping novel explores the impact of Basque nationalism and separatist terrorism on families and communities.
Details
16 May 2019
9781509858057Reviews
Few books make me cry these days but by the final page I found my eyes prickling with tears. By examining his society in such close detail, Aramburu encourages us to reflect on the bitter divisions in our own world and the opportunities we have for reconciliation.Sunday Times
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that was so persuasive and moving, so intelligently conceived.Mario Vargas Llosa
Is Aramburu the Tolstoy of the Basque country, author of a Spanish language War and Peace that lays bare the pain of forty pointless years of separatist terrorism?Guardian
A powerful novel which has a strong claim to be the definite fictional account of the Basque troubles . . . Aramburu skillfully spins their stories in short, punchy chapters that dart back and forth in time. Its message is ultimately redemptive.Economist
