The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos by Margaret Mascarenhas

I think this is one of the best books I've read this year. The backdrop of the story is a friendship between two girls, Lily and Irene, who are growing up in Venezuela during the revolution. Irene disappears while they are on vacation and fifteen years later, Lily finds herself on bedrest towards the end of her first pregnancy wondering what happened to her friend.

The book is told from alternating points of view, forming a complete story through several different narrators who each take one chapter. Irene's fate is revealed at the end but it was easy to forget that as the main theme because Mascarenhas weaves several other compelling stories and characters into the book. There are numerous love stories, glimpses into revolution politics, and native Venezuelan folklore all centered around this family and, tangentially, around what may have happened to Irene. Some of the narrators are unexpected - they seem to be minor characters - and it is not until pretty far into the book that certain connections between people are made.

This book also felt like a classic South American novel - some magical realism, some political statements, and at the heart of it, excellent storytelling. There was a style that made many of the chapters seem like someone telling me a story - I didn't like all the characters but I did grow to understand most of them.

I'm surprised this book did not get more exposure, but I'm glad I didn't let that dissuade me from giving it a try.