A review by bites_of_books
Las malas by Camila Sosa Villada

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Las Malas by Camila Sosa Villada is a story that follows a group of Trans women in Argentina. They have all come together in a park where one of them finds an abandoned baby. It recounts the narrator's life prior to moving to the city and also the way that she and the group reacts to the other people who come to the park looking for sex. The representation of sex work and the lives that Trans women in Argentina lead is at the center of the book.

There are touches of magical realism throughout that were a wonderful surprise, like the woman who is slowly turning into a bird.

If you want to check this out, the English translation by Kit Maude is called "Bad Girls." I'd highly recommend it if you want to read about what being a Trans woman in Argentina, sex work, chosen family, all with touches of magical realism.