Jigsaw Puzzle

Jigsaw Puzzle is set in a run-down suburb of Buenos Aires in 1982. Our narrator, Mora, is a 10-year-old orphan who has been raised by her maternal grandmother. A somewhat precocious narrator, Mora humorously describes her daily school life, her close-knit group of friends and the eccentric characters in her neighbourhood. The narrative is also ridden with dark undertones, including unanswered questions about her parents' disappearance.

A third of the way into the story, Mora and her classmates are told that they are now at war with the English. Mora becomes close to Pablo, a classmate whose elder brother is fighting on the Falkland Islands. The letters that Pablo receives from his brother and shares with Mora show a tragic side of the Falklands conflict, and Pablo's brother doesn't come home.

When Mora's friend Gabi disappears, Mora's grandmother decides it's time Mora understood a few things. The novel closes in Plaza de Mayo, where Mora's grandmother, along with hundreds of other bereaved mothers, goes every Thursday to protest against the murders committed by the military dictatorship of the previous decade.

Original Title: Rompecabezas

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