My Name Is Light

My Name Is Light by Elsa Osorio. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781582341828.

An international bestseller about the blackest period of Argentinean history. Luz, a twenty-year-old Argentinean, is on vacation in Madrid with her husband and newborn son. But Luz has a secret mission-to find her real father. Carlos was a desaparecidos, one of the many political activists who disappeared in Argentina during its dictatorship in the seventies. Her mother, a political prisoner, was killed while trying to flee the country, and Luz is brought up by a wealthy, politically influential couple. There are only three people who know Luzs real identity: her adopted father Eduardo, racked by guilt at this deception; her adopted grandfather, the powerful and corrupt General Alfonso who is determined to keep the secret buried; and Miriam, the prostitute who befriended Luzs real mother in her final days and who returns from exile determined to tell Luz the truth. Met by politics, wealth, and corruption at every turn, Luzs search to find her father ultimately turns into a dangerous fight to save herself. In this taut, riveting thriller, Elsa Osorio has written a powerful story about a young girls quest to find her identity. At the core, Luzs story mirrors that of the Argentinean people: how can we hope to understand ourselves if our history is shrouded in secrets and tragedy?