Woodworm

Every house keeps the history of its inhabitants. This house was built by a pimp and became a trap—not only for his wife, but for all the women in this family. Now it’s home to a grandmother and her granddaughter, along with ghosts and unclean spirits who are always trying to drag the women into the dark nothingness. During the day, the villagers обходять the house and its inhabitants, but at night they come with requests for charms and revenge.

When a child from a privileged family disappears, all the skeletons of this village begin to crawl out.

Described by Mariana Enríquez as “a house of women and shadows, built out of poetry and revenge,” this novel tells about class struggle and the abilities of women driven to despair.

“The Wood-Borer” has already become an absolute hit in Spain: 16 editions have been released. Laila Martínez is called a new unique phenomenon in contemporary Spanish literature.

“How astonishing that in this small novel in volume, Laila Martínez managed to pack plots from folk legends and historical realities (the home war, Franco’s regime, postwar society), weaving it all together with family legends, turning it into a story about several generations of women who are repeatedly confronted with violence—yet one day decide to get revenge.” — Lyudmila Ivanova, editor