Summary of Homeland
In Fernando Aramburuâs novel âHomelandâ, Bittori returns to her former village in the Basque Country to uncover the truth about her husbandâs murder by ETA. She is determined to identify the killers and to confront those who turned a blind eye when her husband was threatened for not paying âtaxesâ to ETA. Her return causes unrest in the village, in particular for Miren, who was once Bittoriâs neighbour and best friend, and whose son is imprisoned for his involvement with ETA.
Reasons to read Homeland
âHomelandâ by Spanish author Aramburu relates how the lives of ordinary people in the Basque Country were shaped by the terrorist and blackmailing practices of the separatist group ETA. The novel focuses on the women, Bittori and Miren, who each in their own way try to cope with the impact of ETAâs terror on their families. âHomelandâ became a bestseller in Spain, including in the Basque Country, where it sparked a lively debate about the role of ETA â whether they are freedom fighters or merely criminals. The novel has won several literary awards, including the Premio Nacional de Narrativa in 2017 and the Premio de la CrĂtica de narrativa castellana in 2016.
Setting: Basque Country (Spain)
Book set in Spain: Basque Country – an unnamed mountain village in GuipĂșzcoa, near San Sebastian.
Original title: Patria
Year of publication: 2016
Nr of pages: 608
