Hi everyone,
It’s been a while, I know. It is getting increasingly difficult to carve out the time to write this newsletter, so I hope the content is valuable to you. Thank you to those who have been asking for it. It means a lot!
My top recommendation today is Feral by Gabriela Jauregui. Sadly, this book has not been translated yet to English, so if any of you know anybody in the literary translation industry, please let me know!
Thanks for reading,
mariana
Part I: English
Other Women by Emma Flint
I was introduced to Emma Flint and her latest novel, Other Women, at a university talk where she spoke about her fascination with forensics and how she channels this interest into her crime novels. On her website, Flint explains that she is drawn to notorious historical figures and unorthodox women, both real and fictional. Intrigued by her talk, I decided to read her book, which is inspired by a true murder case that occurred over a century ago in the UK.
Set in the aftermath of World War I, a time of shifting gender roles, Other Women follows the story of Mr. Ryan and Ms. Cade who eventually become lovers. However, their affair takes a dark turn when Beatrice is found dead. Through a cleverly structured narrative, each chapter reveals more about what happened, and the reader is compelled to piece together the mystery.
Other Women provides a thought-provoking reflection on how society viewed single women who became entangled in extramarital affairs during this period. The novel is told from multiple perspectives, including the first-person viewpoint of Mr. Ryan's wife (Kate) and the third-person perspective of Ms. Cade.
🎧 Audiobook: ✅
A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence
I received a copy of Margaret Laurence's A Jest of God through a gift book subscription. I had never heard of the Canadian author before, however, after reading the prologue by Margaret Atwood, I was convinced to give it a go and ended up reading it on a plane. This novel is part of Laurence's Manawaka series and centres around Rachel Cameron, a school teacher living a small and unfulfilling life, trapped by her dominant mother and waiting for something, anything, to happen, yet doing nothing to change her destiny. When Rachel is reunited with a man from her past, unexpected turns lead her to question her existence and confront societal expectations. The plot is unpredictable and took me to unexpected places, although at times I found the narration a bit suffocating. Overall, A Jest of God offers a beautiful reflection on common confining expectations with poetic writing that sets it apart from other books.
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
I thoroughly enjoyed Jennifer Saint's previous book, Ariadne, so I was eager to read her latest novel, Elektra. This book is very entertaining, and even though I have read some books on Greek mythology, I was not very familiar with the protagonists. The story is told in fragments by three female narrators: Elektra, Clytemnestra, and Cassandra, and focuses on events that occurred before and after the Trojan War, with a particular emphasis on the House of Agamemnon. Prepare to dislike Agamemnon even more if, like me, you already didn't like him. This book provides a fascinating insight into the origins of the Elektra complex, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in modern feminist retellings of Greek mythology.
🎧 Audiobook: ✅
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
This book is a short and enjoyable read that sheds light on society’s expectations of unmarried women in 1950s England. The story revolves around Mildred Lathbury, a single clergyman's daughter who is constantly at the mercy of others. Most people around her assume they can use her time and talents as they see fit, and men often assume she is in love with them simply because she is not married. None ask her what she wants or thinks, and she is like a wildcard that everybody thinks they can use where they best see fit. When a new couple moves in next door, Mildred gets caught up in her neighbours' and parish affairs in unexpected ways.
Barbara Pym is known for her focus on characterisation and setting, rather than plot. She has a keen eye for the ordinary aspects of life and is particularly interested in the relationships between men and women, including unrequited feelings. As described by the Barbara Pym Society, she is a "shrewd observer of a certain kind of middle-class Englishwoman, no longer young and not quite beautiful, whom society finds it easy to overlook."
🎧 Audiobook: ✅
Lullaby by Leïla Slimani
Lullaby by Leïla Slimani was recommended to me by my friend Pablo when I mentioned my interest in books featuring nannies, domestic workers, and housekeepers. This murder story is inspired by true events and revolves around a young couple who hires a nanny named Louise when the mother decides to go back to work. Initially, Louise seems too good to be true as she effortlessly makes their lives easier and keeps everything in perfect order. However, as the family becomes more reliant on her and their relationship deepens, things take a dark turn for the worse. Lullaby won the prestigious Prix Goncourt literary award in France and is published under the title "The Perfect Nanny" in the US, with the original French title being "Chanson Douce".
The Years by Annie Ernaux
Annie Ernaux is a French writer who recently won the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 81, I think. The Years is a beautiful and moving memoir that is built on her diaries with an experimental twist. The author refers to herself as “she” as if writing from an elevated point of view, one that gives her time and space from other versions of herself, allowing her to reflect on how she’s lived. Additionally, she weaves in another voice which I can’t really describe, but which to me felt like the voice of her generation, of her contemporaries.
After I finished the book, I enjoyed reading this interview focused on dissecting how Annie Ernaux turns memory into art. I loved this quote from the article: “What really interests me about youth is that it’s always the time that you remember later. But I won’t be able to remember my old age. So! I have to live it to the fullest.”
If you are into memoirs, this is a superb one that I strongly recommend. If you are not into experimental writing forms, this might not be your cup of tea.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
I found Black Cake to be a captivating novel that explores Caribbean culture and the diaspora through the significance of food and traditions. At the heart of the story is the recipe for black cake, which has been passed down from generation to generation, and is considered part of Caribbean cultural identity. However, the origins of some of its ingredients, such as sugar, are not as clear cut.
The novel follows the lives of Byron and Benny, who only discover the truth about their heritage after their mother's death. A series of recordings are the key to uncovering their family's past and the journey takes the readers on an exploration of intertwined stories that go beyond their family history.
🎧 Audiobook: ✅
Part II: Español
Feral by Gabriela Jauregui
Feral is my favourite book so far in 2023. Gabriela Jauregui is an established writer and editor, and Feral is her debut novel. The story centres around a tight group of friends who experience a devastating loss that should have never happened, exploring what it feels to grieve a friend.
The narration begins with the figure of an animal mother speaking to her cubs, and the story is set in the future, in a time where things are drastically different from the present. There are multiple layers to the story and a myriad of topics like community and commune as a centre of gravity, the families that we choose and the ones we don’t, extractivism, loss, grief, and of course, femicide.
Despite femicide always being a difficult subject to read, Gabriela manages to bring lightness to the page, enabling the reader to somehow escape from the currently violent landscape that taints the Latin American reality. Gabriela expertly plays with language, expanding and contracting it like it’s made of play doh. The form is experimental and creative, perfectly suited to the book’s needs. Jauregui deeply explores grief and anger through language and then turns to collective pain as an antidote, a driver for change.
Above all, Feral offers hope, and allows us to imagine new and alternate futures in a world so full of violence. I absolutely recommend this wonderful read.
Perras de Reserva by Dahlia de la Cerda
Perras de Reserva is a tough and violent read, I’m not going to lie, but I believe it is worth the discomfort as its pages offer different perspectives to understand the current Mexican reality. Additionally, this book was awarded the Premio Nacional de Cuento Joven Comala in 2019. Sadly, I don’t think it has been translated to English yet.
Perras de Reserva is a collection of thirteen interconnected short stories with improbable, yet, increasingly common protagonists. The stories explore the difficult circumstances and systemic conditions that lead some characters to pursue certain professions, such as criminal careers, as a way to improve their livelihoods. The author uses these stories to highlight a range of contemporary issues, including abortion, gender violence, and social inequality. I recommend reading it when you’re in a good place with yourself and probably not before going to bed. The language is marvellous and despite the heavy narrative, it’s difficult to stop reading.
Las Homicidas by Alia Trabucco Zerán (EN: When Women Kill: Four Crimes Retold)
I was introduced to Alia Trabucco Zerán’s work by one of my supervisors. Thanks, Emily! When Women Kill is truly fantastic, focusing on how women transgress both legal and gender norms when they commit murder. To illustrate the point, the book is structured with four different crimes committed in Chile, each distinct from the other.
Throughout the book, the author distinguishes between the systemic violence women face and the exceptional acts of violence they are allowed to commit. It provides a social commentary on how society blamed jealousy and hysteria as the primary motifs of all these crimes, instead of taking these women seriously. The work also explores how men are allowed to be violent because it enhances their masculinity, while women are not because it diminishes their femininity.
The book offers a valuable insight into how gendered expectations exist even within violence, and how women who deviate from these expectations are punished. I highly recommend this amazing work of nonfiction.
Limpia by Alia Trabucco Zerán
Alia Trabucco Zerán’s novel, Limpia, was inspired by the fourth case in her previous book Las Homicidas. The story follows Estela, a woman who leaves her home and her mother in the countryside, in search of a job in Santiago. She works with her employers for seven years, until a tragedy occurs.
As the narrator of the story, Estela walks the reader through the habits and intimacies of her employers. By doing so, the novel provides a poignant reflection on the relationships between parents and childminders, and the places in which childminders become invisible. Limpia is a thought-provoking and important read.
Links to buy these books
Always try to support your local bookshop. If you’d like me to add any bookshops to the list, let me know. Thanks to those who keep sharing new bookshops with me.
UK
Spain
Mexico
Italy
US
Important notes
For UK and US readers, Bookshop.org is a great option to support your local bookshop. You can read more about it here.
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Open Gmail on your computer or laptop (it doesn’t work on mobile phones), and then drag the email from the Promotions tab into the Primary tab.
Add mariachi@substack.com to your contact list
Gracias Mariana. Me aluciono de leer tus criticas sobre estos libros. He leido una novela corta de Annie Arneux, 'L'autre fille', me fascinaba el relato, de acuerdo con lo que dijiste, parece una autobiografia pero a la vez, hay una cuestión si sea fiable la narradora o no.
Siempre me gustan tus recomendaciones, tenemos un gusto literario muy similar.