The time of the flies
The time of the flies is a novel written by the award-winning Argentinian television scriptwriter, playwright and author Claudia Piñeiro. The work —whose genre could be established between Hispanic narrative, thriller and sociological literature— was published for the first time by the Alfaguara publishing house in 2022. The book is a kind of continuation of Tuya, one of Piñeiro's best-known titles; however, it is possible to read it independently.
The return of Inés, the protagonist, is a reunion and, at the same time, a shock. Everything is ready to expose the evidence of the cultural advances that society has suffered in the last decade. The time of the flies revolves around a crime, but it is also a story about friendship, the strength of women, unwanted motherhood, impositions, the past, and, of course, flies.
Synopsis of The time of the flies
Reintegration into the new society
Agnes is a mature woman She was jailed for murdering her ex-husband's lover. His crime and his stay in his prison made him lose everything: his status and his emotional ties, including that of Laura, his daughter. Almost sixteen years later she is released, only to discover that she finds herself in a society where she no longer fits.
Accustomed to the four walls of her small cell, she was not a participant in the change in reality: a society with new laws.. These laws, or many of them, are designed to favor women, which surprises the protagonist.
However, the remodeling goes beyond the jurists, since it also belongs to the streets of the cities, to the marches agendas and their demands—such as access to sex education, understanding consent, and legal abortion. The way of expressing oneself, likewise, has undergone modifications, and what was common is no longer so.
back to the light
After paying for her crime, still without regretting what she did, Inés breaks free from the darkness and tries to integrate into her new life. Society gives you an opportunity to coexist in freedom, but it does not give you the tools to face the world..
That is when contact the only friend she has left: La Manca. Together, they decide to partner up to earn money and start building a quiet life. While Inés works in her pest exterminator company, La Manca works as a private investigator.
Neither of the two activities is related, but this does not prevent the friends from genuinely supporting each other, showing what is now known as "sorority". While the women tried to adjust as much as possible to inclusive language, marriage equality and cancel culture, Mrs. Bonar appears in their lives, a lady who does not belong to the rank of the neighborhoods where Inés and La Manca carry out their tasks and who, even so, offers them an insane deal.
the beginning of the thriller
It is here where the book ceases to be a sociological narrative to become a Novelty. Mrs. Bonar's proposal is terrifying, but it could give Inés and la Manca enough money to keep them calm for a long time.. That amount would be able to change their lives. The plan goes against all morality or legality, and both of them must think very carefully before deciding to do something that would end up sending them to prison.
The strangest thing is that the task involves investigating a crime that has not yet occurred, in the best style of Crime and Punishment, by the Russian master Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Just like in the writer's novel, The time of the flies develops among topics related to society, communities where the most terrible things can happen, but where it is also possible to find a little spark that lights the way.
A particular name for a particular story
The time of the flies No. it's a randomly chosen title. in the novel by Claudia Pineiro inhabit extensive passages that refer to these insects. Inés, despite being an exterminator, is obsessed with flies, so she doesn't eliminate any of them. On the contrary, in conjunction with a strong statement associated with the feminist manifesto, the main character creates odes that defend her little friends, whom she loves and feels as life partners.
Narrative style of the author
Claudia Piñeiro's prose is full of dialogues, which makes it fluid and direct. However, the atmosphere and setting created by the writer transform her narrative, and wrap it up in just the right amount of tension to keep the reader interested. On the other hand, The time of the flies raises an interesting comparison and question: what would happen if a woman from the early XNUMXst century emerged from the shadows of the past and came to make contact with current reality?
Would it change their mental and cultural settings? Could your expectations be forced into the redesign? You don't have to go too far to study it. Today, together with us, those women who were forced to adopt the evolution of technology live together., new moral trends, the perspective that marriage or children are no longer all that matters, that it is perfectly fine to live without being a mother or wife…
It is not the dialectic between conservatism and evolution, it is the union of both currents to be able to survive in an increasingly changing world.
About the author, Claudia Piñeiro
Claudia Pineiro
Claudia Piñeiro was born on April 10, 1960, in Burzaco, Argentina. She studied Economics, and obtained a degree from the University of Buenos Aires. She worked as an accountant for a few years, while her interest in literature arose, which led her to prepare several texts that would be published later. His first novel was The secret of blondes. Despite being a finalist for the La Sonrisa Vertical awards, this work was not edited.
In 2004 he launched a thief among us. That same year, the author wrote and staged her first play: How much is a refrigerator. Throughout her career as a literary creator, she has been the recipient of various awards, such as the Clarín Novel Prize (2005), the LiBeraturpreis Prize (2010) or the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize, of the same year.
Other books (by Claudia Piñeiro
- Betibu (2011);
- A communist in underpants (2013);
- The ghost of the English invasions (2014);
- A little luck (2015);
- Curses (2017);
- Who does not (2019);
- Cathedrals (2020)