Thirteen interconnected short stories of Mexican women of varied backgrounds and status taking life by the horns…

I appreciate what de la Cerda was doing with this collection and her clear, absolute and (obviously) justifiable rage regarding the ubiquity of femicide in Mexico. I enjoyed the inter-connectedness of the stories - it was quietly satisfying every time I picked up on a link between characters.

But, with the exception of the last part of the very last story, I did not get on with the writing, which lacked a bit of maturity. The book felt a little performative - as if it was written (or translated?) to reinforce preconceptions of cartels and the marginalised already held by middle-class readers far removed from such lives and struggles.

I don’t mind a bleak read, but the blunt and crude language here felt more forced and “shock value” than authentic. Perhaps some intricacies of the dialect and slang didn’t translate effectively or perhaps I missed something because I’ve mostly seen reviews describing this one as incredible and honestly what do I know of the realities of life for these women.

A blunt, brutal collection of interconnected stories about Mexican women either living on the margins or connected to cartels.