From 1974 to 1983, the Argentine government perpetrated a Dirty War against its own citizens to quell an uprising threating their control. Paloma knows little about this era – her parents left Argentina soon after she was born to create a life in America where her father was to be a diplomat. But when her father is selected to be the country’s UN ambassador, the family returns to their home country for the appointment and a series of events begins to unfold, revealing her family’s sorid history and the tragedy surrounding Paloma’s birth.
On a Night of a Thousand Stars is Andrea Yaryura Clark’s remarkable novel uncovering the events of the Dirty War and a horrible time in South American history. This is not a period of history well-known to Americans – it’s not covered in many textbooks and feels like a world away geographically. Clark brings the events to the reader in a relatable way through Paloma’s life – a teen raised in America, returning to Argentina and a culture she isn’t familiar with. This book is about the terror the Argentine people experienced for nearly a decade and the long-lasting impact on their country. Clark utilizes dual timelines to demonstrate how the disappearances, tortures, and the lack of justice for the victims’ families continue to haunt citizens even today, nearly 50 years later.
I give On a Night of a Thousand Stars 4 out of 5 stars. This historical fiction has a dark side because of the subject matter, but Clark addresses these topics in a responsible and almost anthropological manner, allowing the story to flow through the conversation with ease. The locations and details shared about the government’s vendetta against citizens they deemed dissidents or supports of those dissidents give the novel validity. I did struggle with the way the author jumped between timelines and the inclusion of so many different characters. However, the revelation at the end of the novel that justice was brought to Paloma and her friends gave a closure I didn’t know I needed until after finishing the book.
With such difficult subject matter as the torture of innocent citizens, stalking, and death, this novel is best directed to audiences over the age of 16. If you are unfamiliar with this era in Argentine history, this is a great first read about the heartbreak of the people. I would caution readers who find physical violence, torture, or alternative interview techniques triggering to avoid this book – not all books are good for all readers, and this has too many triggers in these categories to be appropriate for this group.
I chose On a Night of a Thousand Stars for the Booklist Queen Reading Challenge prompt “set in South America”. I wasn’t sure where to start looking for books that fell into this category. The only thing I could think of that fell into this category was the musical Evita, set in Argentina. The musical follows the second wife of Juan Peron, who makes a cameo in this book. In looking into books about Evita, this book kept coming up – while she does not make an appearance here (she passed several decades before the Dirty War), her influence in Argentine history is present in the way the junta ruled during this period. If a musical is the most you know about the country, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of On a Night of a Thousand Stars to learn more!
This post contains affiliate links.
What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Book Lovers, Emily Henry
- Current audio book: Ellis River, Nicki Ehrlich
- Book I’m most looking forward to: The Rules of Magic, Alice Hoffman
Discover more from Read With Lindsey
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
One thought on “On a Night of a Thousand Stars”