A popular saying goes “from Madrid to heaven”, as if living in the capital were the last step before reaching glory.
But for Carlota, that glory has faded over time. The city that once offered her opportunities and new experiences
has now become a hostile place: suffocating rents, relentless bills, and a pace that doesn’t allow even a moment to breathe.
In her thirties and tired of having to share a flat just to live, she begins to wonder if that “heaven” is really worth it…
or if happiness might be much closer to the ground, in a place where life moves at a different pace.
That question leads her to make a radical decision: to leave everything behind and move to Canguingos, the coastal village in northern Spain where her mother was born.
With fewer than five thousand inhabitants, nestled between the sea and the mountains and very close to the French border, Canguingos represents for Carlota
the promise of a quieter life. There she will meet a French exile, a pastry chef by trade, who holds a small secret capable of completely changing
the course of her life.
Cristina González, known on social media as
@TomorrowJuana,
returns with her second novel at LES Editorial after the success of El descanso del minotauro.
While in that work she blended magical realism with contemporary storytelling, here she chooses a folksy tone to portray the calm of the village
against the bustle of the city, and to explore how a new setting can transform the way we see ourselves, love, and life.
