Library Journal Review: tarred Review. This debut novel by the author of the award-winning story collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges describes in painful detail the disappearance of dissidents during Argentina's Dirty War (1976?83), focusing on the tribulations of one innocent Jewish family in Buenos Aires. Kaddish Poznan, who charges families to deface old gravestones that associate deceased loved ones with former prostitutes and murderers, and his wife, Lilian, are spun into a bureaucratic nightmare when their college-aged son, Pato, is kidnapped by the authorities. Kaddish and Lilian make inquires at the Ministry of Special Cases, described as the "bureaucratic dumping ground, a loony bin for those with no redress." An atmosphere of suspicion, guilt, and denial eventually destroys the relationship between Kaddish and Lilian, who loses her job, waits in long lines at the ministry every day, fills out a never-ending pile of official papers, and pays huge bribes to corrupt officials in the hope of discovering any scrap of information about her son. This chilling book of intrigue examines the slow obliteration of culture and families perpetuated by forces seeking absolute political power. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/07].?David A. Beron?, Plymouth State Univ., NH Copyright ? Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.