El tramo final. (The Final Stage)

Set in Buenos Aires, this is the story of the Hogar Santa Brígida, a residential home for elderly people with special care needs. Starting with Vassia, an exiled Russian Jew, and Estrella, who had an affair with a French chauffeur in the Sixties, Merajver-Kurlat recounts the varied life history of several elderly inhabitants who are brought together in this last stage of their lives. Woven into these stories are glimpses of the residents' interplay with their families, their caregivers, and Hogar Santa Brígida's owners, whose loneliness, difficult decisions, and enforced cheerfulness seems to parallel their elderly charges'. The author of several self-help books, Merajver-Kurlat explores a difficult and increasingly problematic topic with consideration and perspicacity. From the realistically jolly nurses to the confused sense of reality, the story does not shy away from emotionally fraught questions yet provides a thoughtful study of human solitude. Another unexpected strength is the book's sense of place. Written in colloquial Argentine Spanish, with casual references to key aspects of Argentine history, this novel is recommended for people who enjoy family dramas or reflections on modern society, as well as for large public libraries.—Alison Hicks, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder