Ricardo Piglia’s “Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime” is a short story interested in untouchable higher-ups and those who wish to expose them. I found this story both difficult to comprehend and extremely captivating. Piglia’s decision to have the titular “Crazy Woman” be the key to the solving of the crime is very interesting. In a sense, this decision sets the fictional detectives up for failure. The Crazy Woman proves to be somewhat of an unreliable narrator- her speech occurs in a sort of stream of consciousness rant, and we are predisposed to distrust her based on the fact the she is seemingly homeless and literally described as crazy. Unfortunately, it is keeping up appearances that society holds most dear, and this poor possibly unbalanced woman is no match for Almada’s arrogance and elevated societal position. Even once Anahi is proven to be onto something with her information- that Almada really is the murderer- the journalist Renzi is forcefully encouraged to look the other way. The understanding is that if he isn’t killed for reporting on this issue, he will be fired, and having no job will be the least of his worries.

This story is a tragic reminder of the casualties that occur in the search for the truth. Many journalists are killed or imprisoned for getting too close to the truth of what is really happening. We see this occur all over the world, and many individuals are forced to make a choice: are they willing to die for their pursuit of truth? This is too big of a price to pay, and it should not ever have to be asked, but the reality is, just like in Piglia’s story, criminals are protected by powerful people with many resources. It is a bleak reminder of the state of our present, and of our future if corruption and bribery are not dealt with swiftly and severely.