A punk revival of Medea as a Mexican anti-angel of birth and death, from the International Booker Prize-nominated author of Reservoir Bitches.
In Northern Mexico, Paulina, Perla, Antonia, Reina, and Jordan are striving to survive the barrio - hustling on the edge of a cartel-run economy, nursing the wounds made normal in a world that eats its own. Hovering over their trials is a spirit with gothic flair, dressed in black and crowned with braids- Medea, a mythic mother of the Chihuahuan desert, ancient as the Aztecs but never too old to be petty.
From aiding a trophy girlfriend's abortion, to accompanying a mother in her search for her lost child in the desert, to embracing those taken too soon in the narco's brutal proxy wars, Medea fights for justice for her chosen mortals - her divine wrath the only power that could rival the corrupt, violent web spun by the cartel, the government, and the military. Dahlia de la Cerda's magnetic prose draws readers right into the heart of that web - and links all our fates to the missions of Medea, equal parts midwife and gravedigger, a femme fatale god in a femicidal world.
Praise for Reservoir Bitches-
'Reservoir Bitches is a blisteringly urgent collection of interconnected stories about contemporary Mexican women. It absolutely bangs from the first page to the last. It's extremely funny but deadly serious and we loved the energy and flair of the dual translators' approach. It packs an enormous political and linguistic punch but is also subtle, revelatory and moving about the ways in which these women hustle, innovate, survive or don't, in a world of labyrinthine dangers. This book weaves the riotous testimony of the living and the dead to create an expletive-rich feminist blast of Mexican literature.'
-Judges' comments from the 2025 International Booker Prize
'The stories are all narrated by women, from the daughters of crime bosses to designer-clad socialites, whose voices are all so alive and vibrant that reading this collection was a genuine thrill. Reservoir Bitches doesn't shy from portraying Mexico's gritty underbelly but, much like her fellow countrywoman Fernanda Melchor, De La Verda's stories scrutinise Mexican society with great humour. It is a remarkably good debut collection.'
-Barry Pierce, The Big Issue
'Women lie, cheat, kill, and die in Mexican writer de la Cerda's searing English-language debut ... de la Cerda offers a refreshingly unapologetic voice for women who refuse to be placated. This is worth a look.'
-Publishers Weekly
