Where we were invincible
Where we were invincible is a crime novel by the Spanish writer María Oruña. Its first edition was published in April 2018 and is the third installment of the Cantabrian series The Puerto Escondido books. Like the previous chapters, the story involves the same settings and protagonists - agents Valentina and Oliver -, although it presents an individual plot, with a unique twist.
One of the main differences of this book with respect to its predecessors is the inclusion of the paranormal theme. For it, Oruña carried out an extensive investigative process, with interviews with experts and extensive documentation. The story, then, delves into the mysterious ghostly world, of which not even science has an exact explanation. This paradigm shift keeps the reader pondering between what is real and what is not.
Summary of Where we were invincible
New research
Valentina says goodbye to her boyfriend Oliver, gets in the car and prepares to leave his cabin to go to Santander. There, the lieutenant the research area of the UOPJ is directed. Suddenly, receives a call from Captain Marcos Caruso, who informs him that he must go to Suances, specifically to the Palace of the Quinta del Amo, since the gardener -Leo Diaz— has appeared dead in the green areas of the place.
First data
In the house is the coroner Clara Múgica, who — after inspecting the corpse of old Leo— presumes that he died of a heart attack. Valentina arrives at the scene and is immediately informed by the expert about the details of the death. This will confirms that he passed away around eleven o'clock at night, and that, in addition, someone has closed their eyes. This last detail leaves the agent intrigued.
Heir interview
The lieutenant begins to observe everything around the deceased, which allows her to admire how spacious and beautiful the mansion is. In the distance he visualizes a young man, it is about Charles Green, whom you must interrogate, Ya que he was the one who found the body. The man is a writer and owner of the property, he is there in order to spend the summer, finish the manuscript of his new book and sell the house.
Paranormal events
Green manifests to Valentina and her companions —Riveiro and Sabadelle— that something strange happens in the fifth. Since his arrival, he has noticed strange noises, inexplicable presences and has even woken up with bruises on his body for no reason. Despite being skeptical, the lieutenant must inquire about these paranormal events and how they relate to the gardener's death.
This is how a story unfolds that intertwines Green's travels to the past —who remembers his youth and summers in Suances— with the mysteries embedded in the Quinta del Amo. All while the investigations into the death of Díaz and the ghostly events are being carried out. The latter will be consulted with Professor Machín, who gives a course on paranormal entities and phenomena.
Analysis of Where we were invincible
Basic details of the work
Where we were invincible It is set in the coastal area of Suances, Spain. The book has 414 pages distributed among 15 chapters, in which three plots are developed counted under two narrative forms. There is an omniscient third person narrator that describes the experiences of the characters, and another in the first person that tells the draft of the novel by Carlos Green.
Setting
Like the preliminary deliveries, Oruña recreates this story in Cantabria, specifically in the imposing Palace of the Master. The author details the place in an exceptional way, as well as other locations in Suances. The exhaustive research work of the Spanish, who with neat descriptions manages to transfer the reader to these majestic settings.
Characters
Charles Green
He is a young American writer. He resides in California and travels to Suances to write his new novel. His grandmother Martha —who died the previous year— left him as the sole heir to the Palace called “Quinta del Amo”. Carlos remembers the place with great nostalgia, since he spent many of his vacations there and had his first experiences with surfing.
Valentina Round
It is the protagonist of the series, a lieutenant from the Spanish Civil Guard who heads the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police (UOPJ). Six months ago she moved to Villa Marina, in Suances, in the company of her boyfriend Oliver. Since then his life has been more calm and stable.
Alvaro Machin
He is an experienced professor of cognitive psychology, he is in town to give lectures on paranormal entities. These talks are held in the amphitheater of the Palacio de La Magdalena, in which he especially shares with an expert student on the subject.
Curiosities
Literary Route
Due to the success of the series The Puerto Escondido books - since this has kept Suances as the only stage—, the City Council created in 2016 the Puerto Escondido Literary Route. There, visitors can walk through all the spaces that have been presented in the novels.
Musical setting
The Spanish writer characterizes her narratives with the inclusion of melodies throughout the development of the story. For this installment he included 6 musical themes, a list that can be enjoyed on the platform Spotify, with the name: Music -Where We Were Invincible- Spotify.
Name of the protagonist
Oruña declared in an interview with Montse García for the portal La Voz de Galicia, who the name of the protagonist of the series, Valentina Redondo, is a gesture towards the writer Dolores Redondo. In this regard, she said: "It was personal, because for me, as a writer, it symbolizes that" never stop dreaming ", because she encouraged me to continue working when I didn't even consider publishing."
About the author, María Oruña
The Galician writer Maria Oruña Reinoso He was born in Vigo (Spain) in 1976. He studied law at university, a profession he practiced for ten years in the labor and commercial sphere. After that period he has devoted himself entirely to literature. In 2013, he published The archer's hand, his first work, a novel with a labor theme, based on her professional experience as a lawyer.
Maria Oruna
Two years later he presented his second literary work, a debut in the crime novel genre: Hidden port (2015) With her he began his acclaimed series The Puerto Escondido books, which has Cantabria as its main stage. This place is very important for the author, since she has known it perfectly since she was a child; not in vain does he describe it in detail in his narratives.
Thanks to the success of this first installment, a couple of years later he posted: A place to go (2017), also with a great acceptance by the readers. So far the series has two additional novels: Where we were invincible (2018) and What the tide hides (2021). In the middle of these two narratives, the Spanish presented: The forest of the four winds (2020)