A Thousand Years After the War

Author Name: Karen Fernandez

In the early 21st century, Miguel, a lonely old man, leaves the working-class city of Toledo to escape with his dog Ramón to the highlands of Estremadura. He receives a letter from his sister telling him she wants to come and live with him. The liberated old man revolts against the dangers of communal life. For the first time in his life, he dares to flee.
He takes a bus to Montepaloma, his hometown, where he hasn't returned since the Spanish Civil War. Unfortunately, the town has disappeared, submerged by the dam.
Buried memories rise from the lake: entire stages of his beautiful and horrific youth, when he was called Medioche (Midnight), and his brother Mediodia (Midday-Noon), who was killed by Francisco Franco's group, and whose face still haunts him a thousand years (metaphorically) after the war.
The old man takes refuge in the confines of his life, in all his failures, and tries to free himself from his duality in this village where the old hatred still roams for more than half a century.
Karen Fernandez recounts this journey towards redemption in a compelling and moving way, by returning to the harsh dark years that Spain experienced.