No es amor. (It's Not Love)

Journalist Kolesnicov is currently cultural editor of Argentina's main newspaper Clarín. Written over a period of 20 years, her debut novel is set in 1980s Buenos Aires against the backdrop of a modernizing Argentina and recounts the turbulent personal relationship between María Gabay and Florencia Kraft. While Argentina struggles to shift politically from military dictatorship to Menem-style democracy, María and Florencia have to contend with their own changing amorous feelings at a time when homosexuality was not widely accepted. Their troubled coming of age is reflected in many of the clashing themes of the novel-love vs. to be loved, science vs. art, dictatorship vs. democracy. Though the text can be dense and heavy going at times, the characters are vivid and realistic, and the book provides an intriguing snapshot of changing times and social mores in Argentina-particularly in light of the 2010 decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Is it love? It's hard to draw any conclusions, but the book is recommended for its insightful and reflective look at homosexuality. Recommended for large public libraries.—Alison Hicks, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder