La Mala Costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub May 2026

La mala costumbre (translated as Bad Habit) by Alana S. Portero is a critically acclaimed coming-of-age debut that follows an unnamed trans woman growing up in a working-class Madrid neighborhood during the 1980s and 90s. Core Themes & Atmosphere

La mala costumbre (English title: Bad Habit) is the 2023 debut novel by Spanish playwright and poet Alana S. Portero. A visceral and lyrical coming-of-age story, the book has become an international literary phenomenon, translated into over 17 languages. It explores the intersections of gender, class, and identity in post-Franco Spain. Plot Overview

If you are looking for La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub, you are looking for more than a file. You are looking for a companion in darkness. You are looking for the confirmation that, even in the worst habits, there is a seed of survival. La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub

The Struggle: The narrator navigates a "double life," hiding her true self to avoid violence and social ostracization while observing the world of women—including her mother and neighbors—with a mix of idealization and fear. Major Themes

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. La mala costumbre (translated as Bad Habit ) by Alana S

Bad Habit by Alana S Portero review – in search of acceptance

Bad Habit by Alana S Portero review – in search of acceptance Portero

The story is a raw, poetic, and moving coming-of-age journey of a trans girl growing up in a working-class family in the San Blas neighbourhood of Madrid.