On a Night of a Thousand Stars

Last year I picked up On a Night of a Thousand Stars, the debut novel by Andrea Yaryura Clark. Set between the 1970s and 1990s, it shines a light on the people affected by Argentina’s Dirty War and the repercussions that followed. I listened to the audiobook version of it, narrated by Paula Christensen. 

Summary

In 1973, Santiago Larrea was a young man attending the Universidad de Buenos Aires. Argentina was already experiencing political unrest, events that would play out during Santiago’s whirlwind romance with a student named Valentina. Over the next few years, their relationship and Argentina around them would go through massive, devastating changes. 

In 1998, Paloma is the 21-year-old daughter of Santiago and Lila. Paloma has grown up in the US, and her father is a well-off diplomat. When the family travels to Argentina that July, Paloma decides to find out more about the secrets of her father’s past. Paloma learns about the horrors of the military dictatorship of 1976, the scars left behind, and how her own identity is defined by those events. 

Review

Prior to On a Night of a Thousand Stars, I had only read a couple of books about Argentina’s Dirty War. So far, this novel does the best job of both detailing the political turmoil that led to the worst horrors and giving insight into how it affected relationships and families, even years later. It’s at once informative and emotionally impactful. 

On a Night of a Thousand Stars follows two timelines. In the late 1990s, Paloma is the daughter of two Argentinians—Santiago and Lila—who relocated to the US before she was born. Now visiting Buenos Aires for a few weeks, Paloma wants to learn more about her dad’s past, because despite his position as a diplomat, she knows little about his early life in Argentina. What are the secrets he’s hiding from her? What doesn’t he want her to know? Meanwhile, in the 1970s, we get to know Santiago as a young man, his relationship with a woman named Valentina, and the social circumstances that tore them apart. 

Often, in dual-timeline novels, one timeline is more interesting than the other. Here, however, I found both parts to be equally engaging. I liked getting to know Santiago, Valentina, and their friends in the 1970s, even with the increasingly dangerous climate of Argentina. How would Santiago and Valentina’s relationship unfold? What would ultimately cause them to part ways? How would the Dirty War play a part in their lives? But in the 1990s, Paloma is a compelling character, a young woman finding clues to a mystery of her own father’s life. As good a dad as Santiago is, why is he keeping secrets from his only daughter? Paloma is determined to learn more, even if what she uncovers may have unforeseen impacts on how she sees her dad and herself.

On a Night of a Thousand Stars is well-written and emotionally compelling. The author describes major events and action-filled sequences as well as she dives into the inner feelings of our characters. Some things unfold in surprising ways, and though the novel reaches a definitive end, it’s open-ended enough that I could also see it leading to a sequel.

Audio

Paula Christensen does a great job of narrating On a Night of a Thousand Stars. As it’s set in Argentina, many words and nearly all the names are Spanish. I appreciate that she pronounces Spanish names and words correctly. (It’s a big pet peeve of mine when non-English words are mispronounced in English-language audiobooks, and as I do speak Spanish, I’m particularly sensitive to bad Spanish pronunciation.) Paula Christensen does an excellent job of immersing listeners in the story, thanks to good pronunciation, distinctive voices used for different characters, and a speaking style with just the right dose of energy. I believe I liked this novel more due to her skillful narration. 

Final Thoughts

On a Night of a Thousand Stars is an impressive debut, and I will happily read more from Andrea Yaryura Clark. If you like dual-timeline historical fiction or want to learn more about Argentina’s culture and recent history, this is a wonderful choice. 

Get the Book

You can buy On a Night of a Thousand Stars here – it’s available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

On a Night of a Thousand Stars by Andrea Yaryura Clark
Audiobook Narrator	Paula Christensen
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fiction
Setting	Argentina
Book Length	11.5 hours
Format I Read	Audiobook
Original Publication Date	March 1, 2022

Official Summary

In this moving, emotional narrative of love and resilience, a young couple confrontsthe start of Argentina’s “Dirty War” in the 1970s, and a daughter searches for truth twenty years later.

New York, 1998. Santiago Larrea, a wealthy Argentine diplomat, is holding court alongside his wife, Lila, and their daughter, Paloma, a college student and budding jewelry designer, at their annual summer polo match and soiree. All seems perfect in the Larreas’ world—until an unexpected party guest from Santiago’s university days shakes his usually unflappable demeanor. The woman’s cryptic comments spark Paloma’s curiosity about her father’s past, of which she knows little.

When the family travels to Buenos Aires for Santiago’s UN ambassadorial appointment, Paloma is determined to learn more about his life in the years leading up to the military dictatorship of 1976. With the help of a local university student, Franco Bonetti, an activist member of H.I.J.O.S.—a group whose members are the children of the desaparecidos, or the “disappeared,” men and women who were forcibly disappeared by the state during Argentina’s “Dirty War”—Paloma unleashes a chain of events that not only leads her to question her family and her identity, but also puts her life in danger.

In compelling fashion, On a Night of a Thousand Stars speaks to relationships, morality, and identity during a brutal period in Argentinian history, and the understanding—and redemption—people crave in the face of tragedy.