Nombres y animales

(Italy, NN Editore); (USA, CUP)

«One summer, initiation into the life of a teenager… A female character whose face reflects the typical teenage boredom and awe, elation and sadness, sensuality and astonishment in an unrelenting rhythm of dance.» Rodrigo Pinto, El País

Blowing magical realism to pieces, while taking inspiration from the total freedom of storytelling, in this novel Rita Indiana constructs a narrative edifice governed by an endearing teenager (who from the very first pages becomes an essential part of the reader’s life) and inhabited by a family that is as peculiar as it is ordinary. While the main character’s parents leave the Caribbean to visit the 1992 Universal Exposition in Seville, Indiana works in the veterinary clinic of her aunt Celia and uncle Fin, who are drawn with the author’s characteristic precision and unique humor. Bizarre stories, nameless animals, illegitimate children, abused Haitians, lovers from the past… and the present. And, of course, like every summer at that age, sexual discovery (including her attraction to other girls). Magic and astonishment at times; mystery and desire at others. A smash hit of a novel, written in a state of grace.