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stirnbandpunk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Child death
lidia7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Self harm, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Colonisation
littlebookterror's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Told in the first-person perspective of Camila, a not even 23 years old transgender sex worker, the story revolves around her daily life and that of her trans sisters, watched over by Tía Encarna. While the present timeline follows them finding an abandoned baby in the park and going the motions of their lives (which often includes, drugs, alcohol and dealing with inconsiderate clients), we also go back and learn about the history of many of the women who surround Camila, as well as her own childhood. It's personal and raw, at times it reads like a personal diary, at other times it takes on a fairytale-like quality - finding morals and explanations for the horrors they had to endure and the happiness they got to experience. The main 'plot' is actually focused on Tía Encarna and the baby boy she decides to keep and how that changes the dynamic in the group. Camila is on the fringes, watching it all unfold.
Villada hold nothing back; there are scenes of abuse and assault, mistreatment, dysphoric moments and all the struggles that come with being poor, trans, and alone. She writes about all these shocking events with a neutrality that does not allow for glamorization or sensationalism. You can feel her emotions dripping of the page.
There is also an aspect of magical realism to the story (I think that is quite common with titles from Latin America, correct me if I'm wrong). It is mostly in the small details (headless lovers, a werewolf sister) that I quite liked. It reshaped some of the horrors in a different light and offered an alternative viewpoint to their bleak realities.
The ending is both expected and devastating.
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If you are looking for an English title with similar themes, I would suggest The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad. It's Young Adult, and therefore not as graphic, and leans more into the fantasy aspect but both stories feature a group of queer women of colour at the center who have run away from abuse and past assault. Both stories also feature a first-person narrator (plural in the case of The Wild Ones) that tells the story from another main character (Tía Encarna and Paheli, specifically). Both show the harsh reality of life while offering an escape. (The Wild Ones is a more hopeful book overall.)
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Police brutality
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death and Vomit
sexual contact between minors (wanted and unwanted), unsafe sex practices (AIDS), main character mentions her deadname once