You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Claudia vive con su mamá y su papá en un apartamento en Cali que parece una selva. A través de la narración de una niña tenemos la posibilidad de evidenciar las dificultades familiares, los roles de género impuestos a las mujeres, así como la depresión y la nostalgia.
Me gustó mucho leer desde la perspectiva de una niña, ir reflexionando cómo en su inocencia va intentando entender lo qje ocurre en su familia y su alrededor (lo cual comprende mejor que incluso varios adultos). La voz de Claudia aún retumba en mis oídos, su miedo, su amor incondicional, sus inseguridades y su gran imaginación. Sin duda una muy buena lectura que además, deja ver las dificultades a las que nos enfrentamos las mujeres queriendo cumplir a la perfección los roles que la sociedad nos marca: ser una buena madre, una hija ejemplar, una mujer bella e inteligente, una intachable esposa, una cariñosa amiga, entre varios más. Y encima de todo, no darle crédito a la importancia de nuestra salud mental porque de acuerdo a la sociedad ser una mujer fuerte significa aguantarlo todo. (4.5/5)
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Los abismos tiene una bien lograda visión de la infancia, una voz infantil que te cuenta todo eso que se supone no se debe contar de nuestra familia. El retrato de la infancia feliz se rompe de un momento a otro cuando llega la realización de una madre con depresion que solo habla de suicidio y un padre huerfano que crecio con el silencio como comunicacion.
El origen de los miedos, inseguridades, traumas y abismos.
La historia para mí no tiene un final, tiene un machetazo que la corta de a una y te deja con la nada en las manos. Historia que cuando apenas comienza se acaba.
El origen de los miedos, inseguridades, traumas y abismos.
La historia para mí no tiene un final, tiene un machetazo que la corta de a una y te deja con la nada en las manos. Historia que cuando apenas comienza se acaba.
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
Thank you to NetGalley and World Editions for the e-ARC! In Abyss, Pilar Quintana describes a family’s interactions through Claudia’s eyes. Quintana’s portrayal of Claudia is meticulous, detailing the blissful naivety of a child while also trying to process the traumatic events happening around her. The descriptions of her nightmares are so vivid and feverish. I am very interested to read The Bitch and other work by her after this!
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Claudia, who’s named after her beautiful mother, lives with her parents in Cali, Colombia. The grown-ups, including her aunt, are close to one another and lovingly take care of her. However, when someone new enters the picture, the dynamic changes. After that, Claudia’s life is heavily shaded by generational trauma and mental illness.
1️⃣ I read this in one sitting.
2️⃣ I loved reading from the perspective of the 8-year old Claudia. It took me back to books from my childhood. But there’s nothing childish about this book or the traumas it explores.
3️⃣ I hadn’t read any translated works in a while when I picked this one up, and I’m so glad that I did. I studied Latin American lit in college (untranslated then, but my language skills are a bit rusty now) and loved it—I need to get back to it.
4️⃣ I think it’s incredibly difficult to address such difficult topics from the perspective of a child while maintaining an appropriate tone and voice, but Quintana easily achieves it. The way that events unfold in front of Claudia and her reactions are so complex and add heart-wrenching depth to the story.
5️⃣ I have only good things to say about this one. It’s fairly short and can be a quick read, but it’s such a full and layered story.
1️⃣ I read this in one sitting.
2️⃣ I loved reading from the perspective of the 8-year old Claudia. It took me back to books from my childhood. But there’s nothing childish about this book or the traumas it explores.
3️⃣ I hadn’t read any translated works in a while when I picked this one up, and I’m so glad that I did. I studied Latin American lit in college (untranslated then, but my language skills are a bit rusty now) and loved it—I need to get back to it.
4️⃣ I think it’s incredibly difficult to address such difficult topics from the perspective of a child while maintaining an appropriate tone and voice, but Quintana easily achieves it. The way that events unfold in front of Claudia and her reactions are so complex and add heart-wrenching depth to the story.
5️⃣ I have only good things to say about this one. It’s fairly short and can be a quick read, but it’s such a full and layered story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
3.5 stars. It’s such a different story that I appreciate, children all ages understand nuance, changes, sadness etc. My heart ached for little Claudia. I think the ending was just so abrupt.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
ARC courtesy of World Editions and NetGalley
Pilar Quintana wrote Abyss from the point of view of an eight year old girl in '80s Columbia being confronted with adult reality.
Books written from the perspective of a child are usually heartbreaking for me and Abyss is no exception. Piecing together the world through Claudia's eyes, we see generational trauma being passed on as the people around her deal with being stuck in their roles in a world where depression is a taboo subject. Claudia's experiences are all too universal and familiar; a child slowly unraveling the mysteries of the adult world, a girl seeing and understanding way more than the adults around her think, and a woman filled with the abyss in the making.
New favorite, great translation.
Pilar Quintana wrote Abyss from the point of view of an eight year old girl in '80s Columbia being confronted with adult reality.
Books written from the perspective of a child are usually heartbreaking for me and Abyss is no exception. Piecing together the world through Claudia's eyes, we see generational trauma being passed on as the people around her deal with being stuck in their roles in a world where depression is a taboo subject. Claudia's experiences are all too universal and familiar; a child slowly unraveling the mysteries of the adult world, a girl seeing and understanding way more than the adults around her think, and a woman filled with the abyss in the making.
New favorite, great translation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt