Buenos Aires, 1992
Belén López Peiró studied journalism and communication sciences in Buenos Aires University. She currently coordinates non-fiction writing workshops with a gender perspective. Por qué volvías cada verano is her first published novel. A story that recounts, through numerous witnesses, the abuse that she was subjected to by a relative and that became a literary, social and political phenomenon in her country.
- “Belén López Peiró recounts sexual abuse in unambiguous terms but with a lot of literature.” Mauro Libertella
- “An exquisite work, a powerful political intervention. And very necessary.” Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
- “The map of what happens to us, finally in full. Essential reading.” Brigitte Vasallo
- “For me the definitive book on sexual abuse, as well as the discovery of an author who I want to read much more of.” Nuria Labari
Bibliography
After a year without any updates, a call from the Prosecutor's Office announces that the sexual abuse complaint has finally gone to trial. That wintry morning marks the beginning of another grueling process for the narrator: finding legal representation, navigating the bureaucratic intricacies of the justice system, building a support network to confront the case against her powerful uncle, a high-ranking police officer, and summoning the courage to reopen a file that leads to the family's past.
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“Contemporary in its brief and fragmentary style […] this lyrical and dizzying novel revolutionizes non-fiction in its forms and themes.” Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
After a year without any updates, a call from the Prosecutor's Office announces that the sexual abuse complaint has finally gone to trial. That wintry morning marks the beginning of another grueling process for the narrator: finding legal representation, navigating the bureaucratic intricacies of the justice system, building a support network to confront the case against her powerful uncle, a high-ranking police officer, and summoning the courage to reopen a file that leads to the family's past.
Without resorting to rhetoric, Belén López Peiró reexamines the hazy outlines of memories; she experiments with responses to the ordeal of humiliating court appearances and explores the labyrinths of jury trials.
Where I Can't Touch Bottom delves deeper into the literary project of Why You Came Back Every Summer, a pivotal precursor to thousands of anonymous complaints and others with substantial media repercussions. With an overwhelming pace, this chronicle finds the words to transform a crime that was meant to remain concealed into a political call to action.
“A genius, author of a brutal book.” Gabriela Wiener
“This book is a hugely valuable contribution”. Julieta Venegas
“With an aesthetic power that does not exclude tenderness but never softens [...], it turned a very brief book about a small town into a transatlantic work.” El País
“Belén López Peiró's voice emerges strong and unvarnished” The Objective
“I’ve read both of Belén’s books back to back, while holding my breath. They have been such uncomfortable readings […]. And in the end, all that remains after reading is a deep gratitude towards the author of it.” elDiario
Why Did You Come Back Every Summer describes the abuse the author was subjected to during her adolescence by a relative who was in the police force, as well as the consequences that this case had for her family and social environment.
Using harsh, direct language, Belén López Peiró criticises the system, the network of silence that was intended to gag her, and herself. And she does so, not only to denounce those events, but also to condemn the context that made them possible and to reconstitute through writing what the violence of her brutal aggressor destroyed.
Using a fractured structure that interweaves different voices and judicial texts, the author has created a polyphonic book that is hard to catalogue. A work that draws on the author’s personal experience and literature to become a political act that forces us to look where we would rather not.
“Belén López Peiró recounts sexual abuse in unambiguous terms but with a lot of literature.” Mauro Libertella
“An exquisite work, a powerful political intervention. And very necessary.” Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
“López Peiró writes with authority, navigating the novel’s tough subject matter while avoiding clichéd pitfalls. Fearless and distinctive, this is vital reading.” Publishers Weekly
“A perfect and precise book that tackles macho violence and makes the picture that supports impunity emotionally palpable.” Gabriela Wiener
“The map of what happens to us, finally in full. Essential reading.” Brigitte Vasallo
“For me the definitive book on sexual abuse, as well as the discovery of an author who I want to read much more of.” Nuria Labari
Press links:
"Ese ruido tan familiar del abuso sexual" por Gabriela Wiener. elDiario.es, 27.11.20
Reseña de Por qué volvías cada verano en el blog "Leer es vivir dos veces". 05.12.20
"Per què tornàvem cada estiu" por Brigitte Vasallo. Diari Ara, 07.12.20
Paloma Abad entrevista a Belén López Peiró para Vogue, 10.12.20
Entrevista a Belén López Peiró en Llanuras. Por Anna Maria Iglesia, 23.12.20
"El abuso de la memoria" por Ricardo Martínez Llorca. Revista de Letras, 04.01.21
Reportaje sobre Por qué volvías cada verano en Ahora Qué Leo (La Sexta), 09.01.21
María Taosa entrevista a Belén López Peiró en "Si no puedo bailar" de Radio 3 (RTVE), 11.01.21
"¿Por qué te dejaste?" por Elvira Lindo. El País, 17.01.21
"Cuando la justicia es una profecía autocumplida" por Laura Miyara. La Voz de Galicia, 18.01.20