9781860464218

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Thirty-seven-year-old Irene is just out of prison after a four-year sentence for terrorist involvement. On her first night of freedom, she wanders from bar to bar, picks up a stranger, and spends the night with him in a hotel. He treats her badly; she attacks him and escapes. She decides to return to her native Bilbao, and while waiting at the bus stop in Barcelona, she is approached by a man she believes to be a plainclothes policeman. By attaching herself to two nuns, she manages to board the bus without him, and her journey begins. Other passengers on the bus include another plainclothes policeman, who is joined by the first farther down the line. Conversations strike up, and there begins an intricate game of hide-and-seek between strangers as they open up a little, make advances and diversions, and sidestep nimbly. As the bus continues across Spain and the travelers come increasingly into focus, Bernardo Atxaga builds up tensions that can be resolved only after their arrival in Bilbao.

"Vivid and intense, this short novel maps out Irene's dual journey as she travels the road from incarceration to independence, discovering the strength to rebuild her life in literature and in the familiar sights of Bilbao."

Ann Collette, Book, July/August 1999

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