Nagore Suárez returns with a historical mystery novel set in San Sebastián in the mid-1950s
After concluding her trilogy of bones, set in Navarra, the writer publishes “What lives in dreams”
BILBAO, Jan. 16 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The writer Nagore Suárez (Madrid, 1994) returns these days with the publication of “What lives in dreams” (Destino), a “historical mystery” story set in San Sebastián in the mid-1950s of the 20th century and the summer vacation of the aristocratic class.
The story begins in 1938 when the protagonist of the novel, Manuela, meets Ava as a teenager at a girls’ school in Florence, an enigmatic and independent young woman, fond of art who paints day and night, with whom she establishes a relationship and who mysteriously disappears from the center without a trace.
Fourteen years later, in 1952, Manuela is on vacation in San Sebastián, where she is trying to escape the control of her family, when she is invited in the capital of San Sebastián to the inauguration of Villa Allur, a social event organized by a mysterious young man, the Duke Julien Leroy-Benoit.
During the evening, and on her tour of the mansion, Manuela accidentally discovers inside it the last painting painted by her missing friend during the years they shared at the Italian boarding school.
As the publisher explains, “on the canvas you can see a cliff next to the sea where a female figure dressed in a white cloak floats in the void. Hair floats on the surface of the water and in the sky, along with stars irregular shapes an Arabian crescent could be seen”.
The painting has a “hypnotic” condition, with colors and shapes that “trap in a dangerous way, managing to drag whoever observed it to the edge of that cliff, forcing them to wonder if the spectral woman fell into the waters or emerged from them, since he seemed to die and resurrect at the same time,” they add from Destino.
From this discovery, Manuela tries, without success, to find a rational explanation for the presence of the painting in that house and begins the search for Ava in the San Sebastián of the 50s, where the summer passes between “luxurious evenings at the club.” of Tennis, Playa de la Concha and the vapors of the La Perla spa”.
For the protagonist, immersed in the search for her friend, “the days and nights between specters, suspicions and inquiries on the trail of a symbol, in the form of a threatening scarlet snake, that seems to be everywhere.”
In statements to Europa Press, the author states that the historical mystery label attributed to her new novel, “like all labels, are always indicative and designed to indicate to the reader what they are going to find.” In this case, he adds, “it is a mystery set between 1938 and 1952, although, of course, it has many more ingredients.”
Asked if the story represents a drastic change with respect to the tone used in the so-called ‘bones trilogy’, Suárez considers that, “although it is a very different story, it has some elements in common with the trilogy, such as are the setting in the north of Spain, themes related to esotericism or the supernatural; in addition to the own style, which is something that, no matter how different the narration and plot is, remains there” he emphasizes.
When asked by the Madrid writer whether she set the plot in San Sebastián in the 1950s because that period gave rise to a literary intrigue of these characteristics, Nagore Suárez recalls that the capital of San Sebastián was, from the end of the 19th century, the city where gathered to spend the summer the best of European society.
Likewise, he continues, “smugglers, princes and mediums met at the city’s Grand Casino and I was attracted to that halo of mystery, glamour, ghosts and parties.”
In any case, he specifies, “although in 1952 we found a city transformed, in the midst of Franco’s rule, it continued to maintain that essence that gave the impression that, between the evenings at the Tennis Club and the dances, everything in its villas was possible.”
In addition to the characters, a central element of the novel is the mansion ‘Villa Allur’ which “is, in a certain way, a ghost”, he defines, and for which he was inspired by “several villas that existed in San Sebastián, but that have already disappeared, like Villa Londaiz or the Palacio Bermejillo,” he recalls.
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BASQUE COUNTRY
Suárez explains that, although born in Madrid, she maintains a relationship with the Basque Country, since her father and uncles were born in Bilbao and her grandparents lived there for many years. “I have known San Sebastián since I was little and I have always been fascinated by the city, so it seemed perfect to set this novel full of daydreams,” she emphasizes.
Regarding these types of mansions or atmospheres that could refer to classics that share this type of setting such as the novel ‘Rebeca’, by Daphne du Mauirier, Nagore Suárez feels flattered since, “any comparison with the wonderful work of Daphne du Maurier and his famous ‘Manderley’ is a compliment.”
In that sense, he continues, “for ‘Villa Allur’ I tried to achieve a gloomy and at the same time attractive atmosphere, since it plays a very important role in the story and everything that happens is linked in one way or another to the house.”
Suárez finally remembers the phrases that he included in a promotional postcard that accompanies the novel. “Houses that are not inhabited are filled with ghosts. It’s like an invitation. Isn’t this city wonderful? Ghosts and parties, I can’t think of anything better,” he concludes.
