Bad Habit (novel)

Bad Habit
Author
TranslatorMara Faye Lethem
Cover artist
LanguageSpanish
GenreFiction
PublisherSeix Barral
Publication dateMay 3, 2023
Published in English
May 23, 2024
Pages256
ISBN978-84-322-4212-0

Bad Habit (Spanish: La mala costumbre) is Alana Portero's debut novel. It was first published in Spain in 2023 by Seix Barral.[1] It has been a commercial success,[2] having been translated into 17 languages, including English, French, German, and Portuguese.[3] It was translated into English in 2024 by Mara Faye Lethem, published by HarperCollins.[4][5]

Plot

Bad Habit is a coming of age story of a young working class trans woman growing up in a blue collar neighbourhood in Madrid during the 80s and 90s.[6]

Reception

In August 2024, British singer Dua Lipa praised the novel, and it became one of her picks for her reading club Service95. She also expressed via a post in Instagram that she got "actual chills" when reading the opening scenes of the book. She defined the novel as a study on identity, love, and acceptance in post francoist Spain.[7]

For his part, Ernesto Bottini, writing for CTXT, strongly criticized the novel, arguing that the author heavily idealized the working class family. He also criticized its lack of narrative coherence and its lack of aesthetic and ethical subversion.[8]

In a 2024 review, The Washington Post described it as "an exemplary novel about growing up trans".[9]

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ ""La mala costumbre", un retrato frío de un barrio en Madrid". El Universal. July 1, 2025. ProQuest 3226547483.
  2. ↑ "Why Alana S. Portero's Powerful Trans Novel Has the Whole World Talking". Gay45. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Al cielo con ella - Programa 8: Paula Vázquez y Alana Portero". rtve.es (in Spanish). Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  4. ↑ Shulman, Aaron (June 16, 2024). "Secret Identity". The New York Times Book Review. p. 14. ISSN 0028-7806. ProQuest 3068163494.
  5. ↑ Bromwich, Kathryn (June 16, 2024). "Bad Habit by Alana S Portero review – in search of acceptance". The Guardian. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  6. ↑ "A Breakout Spanish Novel About Class and Trans Identity Comes to the U.S." The New York Times. April 24, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Dua Lipa Picks 'Bad Habit' by Alana S. Portero for Service95". World Authors.org. August 23, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  8. ↑ "La oportunidad y el valor". CTXT. March 14, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ Talusan, Meredith (May 3, 2024). "An exemplary novel about growing up trans". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  10. ↑ "'La mala costumbre' de Alana S. Portero gana el Premio de Literatura Almudena Grandes". El Correo de Andalucía (in Spanish). Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  11. ↑ "La mala costumbre, de Alana S. Portero, Premio de Narrativa Española 'Dulce Chacón' 2024". La Crónica de Badajoz (in Spanish). Retrieved February 1, 2025.


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