The writer Paola Pinar del Rio has a very interesting debut novel entitled: Partner of the Night. In this novel the writer delves into the question of how nationality affects love, work, and even longevity. Pinar del Riego includes a number of brief vignettes that allow the reader to experience the different cultures of Italy and Spain as well as the Dominican Republic. One section in the novel is narrated by an aging relative of Pinar del Riego who relates how his life and work have changed due to his nationality. This particular part of the novel provides a unique insight into a culture that many are not familiar with or even think about.
The main story line of Partner of the Night concerns a couple that moves into a small village in the Dominican Republic after the demise of their previous home. As the couple settles into their new home, they quickly realize that there are many differences between them as they grow older. As they age they begin to draw more clearly between their Dominican and Spanish heritage and although this can be a very difficult task for the both of them, it must be done. Throughout the years the couple begins to fall in love and marry a man named Pedro. Although Pedro is a caring and loving husband, he has a secret desire to return to Spain where he is of Spanish descent.
Eventually the couple breaks up and the woman travels to Spain to live with her cousin. She attempts to adjust to her new environment and work as a cook in a hotel but while this is going on her true identity is slowly being revealed. Finally she goes back to her old country, only to be killed by a serial killer that was obsessed with her murder and refused to tell her who he was. The discovery of her true identity prompts the police to charge the cousin with the murder, but when the trial begins she discovers that her own family is involved in the cover up and tries to clear her name. The title of the novel is very telling as it clearly points to the differences between people from within a nation and those who come to our shores to live and work.