Combining the raw realism and vulnerability of Shuggie Bain and Detransition, Baby with the poignant sensibility of Pedro Almodóvar, a staggering coming-of-age novel deeply rooted in the class struggles of a trans woman growing up in Madrid in the last decades of the twentieth century. "I saw a whole generation of boys fall like irredeemable angels." Told in the heartrending voice of a girl trapped within the body of a boy, Bad Habit is a story of coming-of-age in working class Madrid-in a godforsaken neighborhood ironically named after a saint. Alana S. Portero's spunky protagonist struggles to make sense of herself and the world she inhabits, conveying her surroundings with mythic allusions and a poetic vitality absent from everyday life. Set against the heroin epidemic that ravaged Madrid in the 1980s and the city's vibrant party scene that dominated its nightlife in the 1990s, Bad Habit follows Portero's unnamed protagonist as she grows up in a blue-collar suburb that has no place for her. Forging ahead, she discovers community and kinship in downtown Madrid, amid a lively party scene animated by junkies, pop divas, and fallen angels. But with each step she takes forward, she finds herself confronted by a violence she does not yet know how to counter; in this exciting, often terrifying, world each choice can truly be a matter of life and death. Blistering and compassionate, Bad Habit illuminates the ties between gender and class, the search for identity, and the power of sisterhood. Shimmering in its lyrical beauty, vivid in its realism, autobiographical in its detail, it is a mesmerizing story of self-realization that speaks to the outsider in all of us. Translated from the Spanish by Mara Faye Lethem

"Solà pushes past the limits of human experience to tell a story of instinct and earth-time that is irresistible in its jagged glory." - C Pam Zhang, author of How Much of These Hills is Gold When Domenec - mountain-dweller, father, poet, dreamer - dies suddenly, struck by lightning, he leaves behind two small children, Mia and Hilari, to grow up wild among the looming summits of the Pyrenees and the ghosts of the Spanish civil war. But then Hilari dies too, and his sister is forced to face life's struggles and joys alone. As the years tumble by, the inhabitants of the mountain - human, animal and other - come together in a chorus of voices to bear witness to the sorrows of one family, and to the savage beauty of the landscape. This remarkable English-language debut is lyrical, mythical, elemental, and ferociously imaginative.

Global capitalism fails young Barcelona couples in this dynamic debut "Heartbreaking and hilarious" --New York Times Book Review "Nopca's stories, written with clarity and flair, are smart and modern, filled with sharply observed detail. They capture the unease of the times and the flux of contemporary life in Barcelona with wit, wisdom, moments of pure hilarity, and a mixture of sympathy and dark laughter." --Colm Tóibín, author of Brooklyn and House of Names What happens when the hopes of a generation are dashed by austerity policies and underemployment? Come On Up is a group portrait of contemporary Barcelona, beaten by the economic crisis and divided by a secessionist movement. Always witty, often absurdist, these stories offer a mesmerizing glimpse into the daily lives of couples, families, and neighbors living the new normal of the 21st century. A husband seeks revenge on his wife as they stalk author Peter Stamm; an out-of-work bartender fills his empty days by shoving bananas into the tailpipes of parked cars; a mysterious ritual, spied through a neighbor's window, arouses deadly spirits. Masterfully paced, the eleven mordant stories of Come On Up draw us into an embattled world whose past is unresolved and whose future is uncertain.

In her debut title, Other People's Beds, Anna Punsoda shines a light onto the darkest corners of the soul with a clean, sharp prose that is punchy, devastating, and tender at the same time. Punsoda beautifully highlights her protagonist's body, a body that has been carved out of stone by her father's alcoholism and her mother's frustrated apathy. This character's stolen innocence leads to her to losing herself in other people's beds. As shocking and sad as it is funny and liberating, Anna Punsoda's Other People's Beds has won unanimous plaudits in her native Catalonia. This powerful debut is written so beautifully and with such ease and fludity that Punsoda is most definitely one to watch.

`She thought that it was precisely when things get uncomfortable or can't be shown that something interesting comes to light. That is the point of no return, the point that must be reached, the point you reach after crossing the border of what has already been said, what has already been seen. It's cold out there.'This hybrid novel-part research notes, part fictionalised diary, and part travelogue-uses the stories of polar exploration to make sense of the protagonist's own concerns as she comes of age as an artist, a daughter, and a sister to an autistic brother. Conceptual and emotionally compelling, it advances fearlessly into the frozen emotional lacunae of difficult family relationships. Deserving winner of multiple awards upon its Catalan and Spanish publication, Brother in Ice is a richly rewarding journey into the unknown.

Paula's partner has died in a car accident - but no one knows her true grief. Only hours before his death, Mauro revealed that he was leaving her for another woman. Paula guards this secret and ploughs on with her job as a paediatrician in Barcelona, trying to maintain the outline of their old life. But all of Mauro's plants are dying, the fridge only contains expired yoghurt and her mind feverishly obsesses over this other, unknown woman. As the weeks pass, vitality returns to Paula in unexpected ways. She remembers, slowly, how to live. By turns devastating and darkly funny, Learning to Talk to Plants is a piercingly honest portrayal of grief - and of the many ways to lose someone.

You have in your hands the most rigorous, complete and readable book ever written about the fascinating science of human sexuality. This book goes beyond the well-worn sexual education advice and the usual evolutionist psychology. After The Brain Snatcher, Pere Estupinya comes back with the first popular science book on sex aimed at a wide audience. While there are some tips for the more adventurous, there is also a wealth of new information to be discovered. Distancing himself from the many books on advice or techniques, Estupinya brings sex to another dimension by combining popular beliefs and science. Do you want proof that our decision-making in the "heat of the moment" is less rational than we think? Did you know that mind and vagina each go their own way? Are you interested in learning about the effects of yoga on sexual pleasure? Did you know about the attempts in the 60s to "cure" homosexuals with electric shock therapy, the chemical analysis of female ejaculation, or the fundamental relationship between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system? The author has spoken directly with asexual and intersexual individuals, fetishists, multi-orgasmic women, women who never have orgasms through penetration, and men who have no refractory period. He has also participated in sadomasochistic events; learned tantric techniques with a couple of coaches, spoken with porn performers at Barcelona's Bagdad, and attended workshops in which a woman teaches how to have orgasms with your mind and breathing. The result is an incredible miscellany of information that appeals to both the scientific community and the curious.

The Seven Deadly Sins is an ambitious project bringing together seven of the most exciting, vibrant voices in Catalan literature to write seven essays on what are perhaps the most enigmatic – and least understood – aspects of religion and morality. Drawing on many different sources, the essayists tell each sin’s story and origin in their own unique way to produce a collection that is frequently hilarious while always entertaining and informative. In Mara Faye Lethem’s stunning translation, these are essays that can be enjoyed as part of a whole or individually.

Winner of an English PEN 'PEN Translates!' award. Barcelona, 1952: General Franco's fascist government is at the height of its oppressive powers, casting a black shadow across the city. When wealthy socialite Mariona Sobrerroca is found dead in her mansion in the exclusive Tibidabo district, the police scramble to seize control of the investigation. Ana Marti Noguer, an eager young journalist, is surprised to be assigned this important story, shadowing Inspector Isidro Castro. But Ana soon realises that a bundle of strange letters unearthed at the scene point to a sequence of events dramatically different from the official version. She enlists the help of her cousin Beatriz, a scholar, and what begins as an intriguing puzzle opens up a series of revelations that implicate the regime's most influential figures. The two women have placed themselves in mortal danger. As the conspiracy unfolds, Ana's courage and Beatriz's wits will be their only weapons against the city's corrupt and murderous elite.

The American debut of one of "Granta"'s Best Young Spanish-Language Novelists," My Fathers' Ghost Is Climbing in the Rain "is a daring and deeply affecting story of one Argentine family's buried secrets. When a young writer returns home to visit his dying father, he finds himself drawn into an obsessive search for a local man gone missing. As the truth--not only about his father but an entire generation--comes to light, the narrator is forced to confront the ghosts of Argentina's dark political past, as well as long-hidden memories about his own family's history. Powerful and audacious, this semi-autobiographical novel is a thoroughly original story of corruption and responsibility, of history and remembrance, from one of South America's most important new writers.

It is Sylvia's sixteenth birthday, and her life as an adult is about to begin--not with the party she had been planning, but with a car accident and a broken leg. Behind the wheel is a talented young soccer player, just arrived from Buenos Aires and set for stardom on and off the field. As their destinies collide and a young romance is set in motion, across town, Sylvia's father and grandfather are finding their own lives suddenly derailed by a violent murder and a secret affair with a prostitute.
Set against the maze of Madrid's congested and contested streets, "Learning to Lose "follows these four individuals as they swerve off course in unexpected directions. Each of them is dodging guilt and the fear of failure, but their shared search for happiness, love, purity, redemption, and, above all, a way to survive, forms a taut narrative web that binds the characters together.
From one of Spain's most celebrated contemporary writers, "Learning to Lose "is a lucid and gripping view into the complexities of lives overturned and into the capriciousness of modern life, with its intoxicating highs and devastating lows.

It is 1914. In the heart of the Belgian Congo, Garvey, a bedraggled British manservant, emerges from the jungle. He is the lone survivor of a mining expedition in which both his masters have died, and all of the party's African porters have fled. With him, he carries two huge diamonds. From his prison cell in London, Garvey recounts his horrific and thrilling ordeal. Young Tommy Thomson is assigned to transcribe Garvey's story and only he can untangle the extraordinary mysteries of the Garvey case.