Book Review: All Yours

By Sandy Amazeen Sep 22, 2011, 1:54 GMT

When Ines realized the intimate part of her marriage had evaporated she suspected her husband Ernesto was cheating, a suspicion confirmed when she found a smeared lipstick heart on love note tucked into his briefcase. Following her husband one fateful evening, Ines witnessed a confrontation between Ernesto and his secretary that resulted in an accidental death. Ernesto disposed of the body in a nearby lake and together, Ines and he built a strong enough alibi to stymie the police investigation involving the woman’s disappearance.

The couple’s seventeen-year-old daughter Lali is caught in the middle of her parent’s emotional nightmare but burdened by an unexpected pregnancy, she has more then enough stress of her own. A phone conversation with the responsible boy’s cold blooded, intimidating mother made it clear Lali was on her own. Lali struggles to keep her pregnancy a secret from her distracted parents who continue to maintain the façade of normalcy. Failing to learn his lesson, Ernesto indulges in another affair and this time, Ines has devised a cunning revenge plan that could end up costing them everything.

Set in current day Buenos Aires, this emotionally charged mystery delves into the extreme measures some people will take to maintain appearances, a message not lost on their daughter. A nice level of tension is sustained throughout this character driven story that concludes with just the right level of ambiguity.