Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award

This intimate family novel that follows the rise and fall of a great love is also a moving tribute to the generation that struggled to survive in Spain after the Civil War.

In Open Heart, Elvira Lindo tells the story of her parents—the story of an excessive love, passionate and unstable, forged through countless fights and reconciliations, which had a profound effect on their entire family.
    Manuel Lindo came from nothing, but stubbornly worked his way up at the Dredging and Construction Company. Obliged to move from city to city for his job, the family couldn’t put down roots, and Elvira and her siblings’ childhood was marked by unpredictability. As they pass through temporary homes, they’re caught between Manuel’s outsized temper and their young mother’s worsening illness, which would tragically take her life.
    Beginning with nine-year-old Manuel’s experience in Madrid in 1939, Open Heart takes us on a sweeping journey through Spain full of beautifully observed insights about love in its many forms.

"Following the rise and fall of a great love, this intimate family novel is also a moving tribute to the generation that struggled to survive in Spain after the Civil War. In Open Heart, Elvira Lindo tells the story of her parents, which is the story of an excessive love, a passionate and unstable love story forged through constant anger and reconciliation, with an entire family's mood dependent on it. Her father's outsized personality, his caprices, his decisions mark the rhythms of a life characterized by drifting: after the wedding, Manuel's job in the Dredging and Construction Company obliges him to change cities time after time, preventing him, his wife, and their children from settling down roots. Places pass by while their love disintegrates and their children grow up in a family history marked by her father's character and the tragic illness and early death of her mother"--