The Dead Hand - La Manita Muerta by Daniel SilbermanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A brilliant, witty and at times heart-rending read...
The author personally and eloquently reveals that writing for him is therapeutic. He needs it in order to clarify processes to himself, organize his thoughts and also soothe his soul. During all of his childhood he ‘wrote for the drawer’, but as an adult he believes his writing holds significant messages for the readers of his work. He says that ‘La Manita Muerta, signals to readers they should be fighting tooth and nail in order to protect the values of democracy in their countries and beware of the slippery slope down which legislators begin to taper off citizen's rights.’
Based on true events, author Daniel Silberman weaves a collection of captivating short stories about his childhood and family in Chile and the events preceding their immigration to Israel. He writes an exceptionally well-written book and paints for the reader an all-encompassing human dramatization of love, loss and survival in a very vivid and compelling way. The backdrop to this story is Chile's collapsing democracy of the 1970's. It was a brilliant, witty and at times heart-rending read that will leave you feeling like a better person for having read it.
Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.
View all my reviews