All this I will give you
All this I will give you is the fifth book by the Basque writer Dolores Redondo, it was published in 2016. It is a crime novel set in the Galician Ribeira Sacra, whose plot is full of mysteries, impunity and greed. With this work the literary writer won the 65th Edition of the Planeta Prize, after presenting the manuscript with the name Sun of Thebes, and under the pseudonym Jim Hawkins.
In addition to the important award mentioned, Redondo became the first Spanish writer to obtain the Bancarella Award (2018), for the Italian version of this book. One year later, the current site Business Insider chose the novel as a representation of the province of Lugo, in an article entitled: "A literary journey through Spain for Book Day", written by Ana Zarzalejos.
Summary of All this I will give you (2016)
One morning, Manuel wrote the end of his last book: Sun of Thebes; suddenly knock on your door, and when opening it meets two uniformed civil guards. The agents immediately ask him if he is a relative of Álvaro Muñiz de Dávila, and after confirming that he was her husband, they inform him about the unfortunate event: Álvaro had a traffic accident in Galicia where he unfortunately died.
Very affected and at the same time intrigued, Manuel goes to Ribeira Sacra. Arriving, confirms the death of the love of his life, And despite his concerns about what happened, the case was already closed. While there, she will begin to discover details of the life of her late husband, one of them is that he belongs to a family of the Galician royalty, who reside in the province where the events took place.
Rejected by his in-laws and immersed in sadness, Manuel is about to return when he is intercepted by Nogueira, a retired civil guard. This raises his suspicions in relation to the case, which awakens in him new doubts about the death of his partner and his mysterious family. The suspicion and intuition of the ex-officer, together with Manuel's curiosity and anger, will lead them to inquire about the “supposed” accident.
The investigation will be joined by priest Lucas, who officiated the funeral and was a childhood friend of the deceased. Little by little, new and surprising details about Álvaro —who led a double life— will emerge., which could lead to death. This trio will cause a great turmoil in the noble family, who will try to prevent them from reaching the truth; but your efforts will be in vain.
Analysis of All this I will give you (2016)
Modular
It's a crime novel whose first stage is Madrid, but then it moves to Chantada, in the province of Lugo in Galicia. The book has a little more than 600 pages, divided into 47 chapters and told in the third person by an omniscient narrator. The plot is very well organized and it is revealed on a drip, which maintains the intrigue from the beginning, until the surprising end.
Various themes
The narrative addresses several themes, including the investigation of the accident, which is mostly carried out by the protagonist and his two allies. As a result, many secrets, lies and illegal actions of a noble family will be exposed and respected by the population. It also shows a lot of Galician culture and customs, both civil and religious.
Landscapes of the Galician Ribeira Sacra
In this novel, the writer chose Galicia as the setting for the development of the characters. The story is presented in the pazo de los marquises de Santo Tomé, a fictitious place but very similar to the areas of the province of Lugo. The territory is somewhat hostile and cold due to its climate, but with incredible and beautiful landscapes, which Redondo describes in detail in the book.
Characters
Alvaro Muniz de Davila
He is a businessman, who dies at the beginning of the plot; he will be the main axis in the story. In the first place, because of his mysterious death; and second, for his secret life. As the novel unfolds, his relatives - who are part of the Galician aristocracy - and the reasons that forced him to lead two such different lives simultaneously will be known.
Manuel Ortigosa
He is a writer, who rose to fame thanks to his first novel and is married to Álvaro. Manuel will go through several stages, from denial to anger after discovering her husband's secrets. Your reality will change radically due to his death; with a new family, a large inheritance and many enigmas that increase the hostile environment.
Lucas Robledo
He is a Catholic father and also Álvaro's best friend, the loyalty of a true friendship will be reflected in it. Luke will give unconditional support to Manuel and it will remind him that he knew the real Álvaro. In addition, with this character the writer shows atrocious circumstances that harm the church and that never come to light.
Andres Nogueira
He is a retired official of the Spanish Civil Guard, a man of family tradition, with strict values. This character will be of great support for Manuel in the inquiries about Álvaro's death. Due to this experience you will evolve, and you will become a much more tolerant person.
About the author
Phrase by Dolores Redondo.
Maria Dolores Redondo Meira She was born in Donostia - San Sebastián, on Saturday February 1, 1969. She is the first-born of a Galician marriage; his father, a sailor; and his mother, a housewife. He had a childhood marked by crying and pain, since at the age of 5 he lost his younger sister. In those gloomy moments the writer confessed to having taken refuge in reading in order to avoid the duel.
Adolescence and professional studies
From a very young age he was passionate about literature; 14 years old he wrote his first stories and later he participated in various competitions in this field. Parallel to her work as a writer, she began her studies in Law at the University of Deusto, a career that she decided to change to another of her vocations: cooking; so he studied and graduated in gastronomic restoration.
Career as a chef
At just 24 years old, he was already a chef in his own business, a small place located in San Sebastián. After two years of hard work and a lot of learning, he decided to close it due to lack of capital, since things did not go as expected. Later, she continued her work as a cook in other restaurants, already more relaxed and without so many responsibilities or worries.
Literary race
In 2009, the San Sebastian writer published her first novel The privileges of the angel. Four years later, his career took a 180 degree turn, when he presented the play The invisible guardian (2013) with which he started the Baztán trilogy. This saga quickly became a literary phenomenon, with more 700.000 copies sold and translated into more than 30 languages around the world.
After this incredible success, the literata published All of this will I will give (2016), novel for which he received the Planet award of that same year. In 2019, it presented The north face of the heart, a prequel to the Baztán trilogy in which the beginning of the career of the protagonist of the saga, Amaia Salazar, is revealed to the readers.
Novels by Dolores Redondo
- The privileges of the angel (2009)
- Baztán trilogy:
- The invisible guardian (2013)
- Legacy in the Bones (2013)
- Offering to the Storm (2014)
- All this I will give you (2016)
- The North Face of the Heart (2019)