Anne L. Walsh Knihy

The story follows Beth Langille, who is determined to uncover the truth behind her neighbor Edith Todd's suspicious hit-and-run death in 1999. While authorities dismiss it as an accident, Beth, the local Block Watch captain, believes Edith's meddling in community affairs may have led to her demise. As she delves into her investigation, Beth confronts the complexities of their neighborhood and the hidden animosities that may have contributed to Edith's fate.

This book is an investigation of contemporary Spanish fiction, specifically a group of fictional texts (written and film) that appeared in Spain in the first decade of this century (2001- 2010). The author focuses on textual analysis and studies how chaos and coincidence appear in these narratives and shape them. The texts analyzed are Soldados de Salamina (2001) by Javier Cercas, Tu rostro manaña (2002-2007) by Javier Marías, La catedral del mar (2006) by Ildefonso Falcones, Volver (2006) directed by Pedro Almodóvar, Instrucciones para salvar el mundo (2008) by Rosa Montero and El asedio (2010) by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, with reference to other texts by these authors also included. Though very different storytellers, these authors share an interest in chaos as a theme and as a narrative device. This work shows that the recurrence in their stories of the theme of chaos indicates a move away from postmodern apathy to a growing sense of empowerment, both for characters and for their readers.