The Blue Line by Ingrid Betancourt Published by Penguin Press Publication Date: January 26th 2016
Pages: 368
Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org
Find on: Goodreads
From the extraordinary Colombian French politician and activist Ingrid Betancourt, a stunning debut novel about freedom and fate
Set against the backdrop of Argentina’s Dirty War and infused with magical realism, The Blue Line is a breathtaking story of love and betrayal by one of the world’s most renowned writers and activists. Ingrid Betancourt, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Even Silence Has an End, draws on history and personal experience in this deeply felt portrait of a woman coming of age as her country falls deeper and deeper into chaos.
Buenos Aires, the 1970s. Julia inherits from her grandmother a gift, precious and burdensome. Sometimes visions appear before her eyes, mysterious and terrible apparitions from the future, seen from the perspective of others. From the age of five, Julia must intervene to prevent horrific events. In fact, as her grandmother tells her, it is her duty to do so—otherwise she will lose her gift.
At fifteen, Julia falls in love with Theo, a handsome revolutionary four years her senior. Their lives are turned upside down when Juan Perón, the former president and military dictator, returns to Argentina. Confronted by the realities of military dictatorship, Julia and Theo become Montoneros sympathizers. Julia and Theo are radical idealists, equally fascinated by Jesus Christ and Che Guevara. Captured by death squadrons, they somehow manage to escape. . . .
In this remarkable novel, Betancourt, an activist who spent more than six years held hostage by the FARC in the depths of Colombian jungle, returns to many of the themes of Even Silence Has an End. The Blue Line is a story centered on the consequences of oppression, collective subservience, and individual courage, and, most of all, the notion that belief in the future of humanity is an act of faith most beautiful and deserving.
Cocktails and Books received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.
I loved reading The Blue Line by Ingrid Betancourt. I can’t necessarily say I enjoyed it since this novel is heart breaking at times. However, I loved that Betancourt struck a great balance between informing me and providing me the escape of a novel—if that makes any sense!
Until reading this book, I was completely ignorant of Argentina’s plight. In reading Julia & Theo’s story, I was intrigued enough by the historical references Betancourt made to investigate further. It was a fairly cursory investigation, but at least I had a better idea of what occurred.
I don’t normally buy into “mysticism”, so when I saw a reference to it on the book cover I was a little worried. No need for non-mysticism types of readers for concern. Julia and her Grandma Fina have a gift for premonitions that Betancourt effortlessly weaves into this story’s fabric. It is an integral component of this novel, but isn’t so far “out there” as not to be believed.
This novel is intense. Readers will be horrified at the references to the torture that Julia and other characters suffer. Readers will also be touched by the bonds that the characters share. Julia’s perseverance and will to live is admirable. Her devotion to Theo is admirable—to an extent. I’d love to know what other’s impressions are of Theo’s level of devotion or to ask Betancourt if I’ve misinterpreted his actions/intentions.
I highly recommend this book. I often like light-hearted and frivolous books, but this is not one of those. There is substance to it, but it was not too intimidating for me.
