La Mala Costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub |verified| -
This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later.
Digital versions allow readers to adjust font sizes and contrast, making the text easier to read.
While biological family dynamics are portrayed with nuanced love and friction, it is the protagonist’s chosen family—other trans women, outsiders, and nocturnal spirits—that ultimately saves her life and helps her transition. Literary Style: Gritty Reality Meets Exquisite Poetry
Unlike many mainstream queer narratives centered on affluent urbanites, Portero places working-class reality at the forefront. The struggles of the protagonist are inseparable from the financial precarity, labor strikes, and community solidarity of San Blas.
La mala costumbre (Bad Habit) by Alana S. Portero is a critically acclaimed coming-of-age novel depicting a trans woman's journey through 1980s and 90s working-class Madrid. The narrative highlights themes of identity, trans sisterhood, and the search for acceptance, often utilizing raw realism mixed with mythical imagery. Read a full review at The Guardian La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub
Upon its release, La mala costumbre became a literary phenomenon in Spain before being translated into numerous languages, including English, French, and German. Critics have praised Portero for rewriting the traditional Spanish narrative of La Transición (the transition to democracy) from a perspective that history books routinely erase.
: Uno de los aspectos más destacados de "La Mala Costumbre" es la forma en que la autora aborda la capacidad de resiliencia del ser humano. La protagonista, a pesar de enfrentar situaciones extremas, encuentra la fuerza para seguir adelante y luchar por su bienestar.
High praise has come from unexpected places. In August 2024, pop superstar Dua Lipa praised the novel on her Instagram, calling it a study of identity, love, and acceptance in post-Franco Spain. She announced it as a pick for her Service95 book club, stating she had felt "real chills" from the first pages.
The novel follows an unnamed protagonist navigating childhood and adolescence in a working-class neighborhood of Madrid, marked by the devastation of the heroin epidemic and the rigid social hierarchies of the time. The protagonist faces profound gender dysphoria and a sense of detachment from her own body and the world around her. This public link is valid for 7 days
Growing up in a suburb ravaged by the heroin epidemic, the protagonist feels isolated and "trapped in a body she does not know how to inhabit".
If you are interested in reading La mala costumbre , you should expect a powerful, emotional, and sometimes difficult read. It is not a light story, but it is ultimately one of resilience and liberation. It is highly recommended for readers interested in:
Portero’s prose is visceral. She describes the smoke from factory chimneys and the smell of poverty in the stairwells with a tenderness that only someone who has escaped—but never stopped loving—that world could muster. For the protagonist, the neighborhood is a double-edged sword: it is the place that forges her resilience, but also the cage that tries to beat the femininity out of her.
One of the most striking elements of the book is its focus on sisterhood and the chosen families that queer people often build. The protagonist is guided by a series of women, both cis and trans, who provide her with the tools to understand herself. These mentors offer a different kind of education, one that isn't found in school but in the dark corners of bars and the quiet intimacy of shared secrets. Portero does not shy away from the tragedies of the era, particularly the devastation of the AIDS crisis and the systemic poverty that gripped her neighborhood. However, the book is never defined solely by trauma. It is infused with a lyrical quality that elevates the mundane into the mythical. Can’t copy the link right now
: A lo largo de la historia, la protagonista emprende un viaje de autodescubrimiento. Su travesía no solo la lleva a comprender la naturaleza de su relación, sino también a encontrar su propia identidad y a valorar su libertad.
One of the most devastating chapters involves the "literature of the fallen," where the protagonist is forced to read sensationalist crime novels about murdered trans women as a form of entertainment for the masses. Portero’s meta-commentary on how society consumes trans suffering is sharp, angry, and desperately necessary.
Alana S. Portero is a writer, playwright, and actress. She holds a degree in History and a Master’s in Archeology. She is also a well-known trans feminist activist in Spain. Her background in history and theater informs her writing, giving it a strong sense of place and historical context regarding the LGBTQ+ movement in Madrid.
An EPUB file allows readers to carry this emotionally dense and captivating story on tablets, smartphones, or dedicated e-readers (like Kindle or Kobo), adjusting fonts and lighting for an optimal reading experience.
Reading La mala costumbre in an EPUB format offers several advantages for modern readers:
