Ema the Captive

In nineteenth-century Argentina, Ema, a delicate woman of indeterminate origins, is captured by soldiers and taken, along with with her newborn babe, to live as a concubine in a crude fort on the very edges of civilization. The trip is appalling (deprivations and rapes prevail along the way), yet the real story commences once Ema arrives at the fort, where she takes on a succession of lovers among the soldiers and Indians, leading to a brave and grand entrepreneurial experiment. As is usual with Aira's work, the wonder of the book is in the details of customs, beauty, and language, and the curious, perplexing reality of human nature.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
Published: 12/06/2016
ISBN: 9780811219105
Pages: 128
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 6.90h x 4.90w x 0.80d

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 09/12/2016 pg. 30
Library Journal 10/01/2016 pg. 70
Publishers Weekly 09/19/2016
Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2016
Booklist 11/01/2016 pg. 34
Shelf Awareness 01/06/2017