AUTHOR: Ledicia Costas
PUBLISHER: Ediciones Destino
GENRE: Literature/Fiction
READER’S NAME: Alisa Newman
DATE:June 9th, 2020

I would rate Costas’s novel Infamia as a 9 out of 10 and an excellent candidate for translation and publication in the United States. The story is told primarily from the point of view of Emma Cruz, a lawyer temporarily working as a professor in Spain. During her time teaching, she takes up residence in Merlo, an isolated, rainy town in the Galician hills. Her arrival coincides with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the unsolved disappearance of two local sisters. Her curious disposition drives her to investigate Merlo’s dark history; by confronting, befriending and even forging romance with the townsfolk, she sheds light on various sordid scandals, resolving her own inner conflicts in the process.

The compelling plot, coupled with Costas’s vivid, detailed writing style, effectively captures the reader’s interest. The characters are well-developed and multi-dimensional, inviting the reader to become emotionally invested in their storylines. The author employs natural, skillfully-crafted dialogue to further explore each character; the people of Merlo spring to life on the page. The setting of each scene emphasizes the intended mood perfectly, especially the town’s pervasive, melancholy fog. The story frequently shifts focus between characters and points in time; however, these transitions are smooth, clear and contribute to the plot.

 Costas, who typically writes stories for children, sharply deviates from her typical subject matter.  The novel deals with mature themes such as infidelity, sexual abuse and murder. Although these topics are commonplace in literature, the author’s style and a wealth of detail prevent the story from being trite, predictable or boring. In fact, the widespread popularity of “true crime” media and increasingly open discussion of sexual abuse in the United States would likely make Infamia attractive to American readers. Even though the novel is set in Spain, the universal nature of the issues discussed makes it accessible to Americans; additionally, the language and style of the work would translate perfectly well into English. The foreign setting adds an exotic appeal without alienating American readers.

My only criticism of the work is that it was, at times, slightly more explicit than I thought necessary; however, such points were relatively infrequent and did not significantly detract from its quality. Therefore, I strongly recommend Infamia for translation into English and publication in the United States.