AUTHOR: :  Ledicia Costas
PUBLISHER: Ediciones Destino
GENRE: Novel
READER’S NAME: Piers Armstrong
DATE: May 24, 2022

story-line, style of writing: 

- follows the family interactional drama between 3 generations (a mother and her mother and son (grandmother and grandchild to each other); traces the return to the family village by the mother (a successful professional); 

- narrative structure is a rotation between these 3 personal viewpoints (always in 1st person);

- the story principally transpires in the present (2019 approx.? - pre-Covid), but also includes recollections of past decades, with attention to the issue of drug abuse (heroin) in the 1980s - 1990s.

- generally speaking, the novelist is adept, both in narrative structure and writing style.

suitability for translation: very suitable; no difficulties (except for the problem of the name of the character Luz, translated literally as "Light" – this simply doesn't work in English, as can be inferred by an objective reader of the promotional blurb (cf. pdf < Golpes de luz ENG dossier Golpes de luz .pdf>).

* That promotional blurb is well-intended but badly written.

whether the subject matter will travel well in the US: yes; lots of familiar contemporary children's pop culture references; the heroin theme is very topical (cf. opioid crisis in the U.S. now)

whether the overall idea seems different and unusual: originality is medium caliber (enough)

whether it deals with a common theme but treats it in an original way:  good question; this novel does so somewhat (enough to be published)

predictability and variety of plotlines and how they blend together: adequately unpredictable as to be engaging.

- the plausibility of the dialogue: yes, very plausible

- the author and their previous works: not sure

similarities to other popular books, etc.: hard to judge; it would seem to be semi-autobiographical and thus authentic and thus original enough.

Summary:  warrants translation and could do quite well. The novel is not overly ambitious but does realize its aims. It is an easy and engaging read with relatable characters, insight into inter-generational connections within families (something where US audiences have much to learn from Latin cultures) and an interesting specific recent historical milieu to evoke (post-Franco Galicia / Spain) which, through the drug topic, is very relevant to contemporary USA.