Upon its release, La mala costumbre became a literary phenomenon in Spain before being translated into multiple languages. Critics have compared Portero’s prose to that of Jeanette Winterson and Pedro Almodóvar, noting her ability to find breathtaking beauty in the middle of squalor and heartbreak.
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.
What sets La mala costumbre apart is Portero's distinct voice. While the subject matter deals with trauma, violence, and systemic oppression, the prose is intensely lyrical, luminous, and poetic. Portero avoids sensationalism, opting instead for a deeply intimate and dignified portrayal of trans life.
If you love the melancholic grit of Pedro Almodóvar’s Law of Desire or the raw confessionals of Jean Genet, you will find a home here. Portero cites Pedro Lemebel (the Chilean queer writer) as a massive influence, and you can feel that. Like Lemebel, Portero uses the gutter as a pulpit. There is a deep Catholic iconography running through the novel—Virgins, wounds, martyrs—but Portero subverts it. The protagonist’s suffering is not redemptive for society; it is simply hers .
The novel contains explicit descriptions of:
Note: When searching for "La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub", please consider supporting the author and the independent publishing community by purchasing authorized digital copies through official eBook retailers or accessing it legally via your local library's digital lending apps like Libby or BorrowBox.
: Trapped in a body and social role that feel alien, the narrator navigates her identity in a world that offers her no language to describe herself. She transitions from the isolation of her youth to finding a sense of belonging in Madrid's central party districts like Chueca. Found Family
To understand the novel, we must first understand its author. Alana S. Portero was born in Madrid in 1978 and grew up in the working-class neighborhood of San Blas. She is a woman of many talents: she is a writer, poet, playwright, and stage director. She holds a degree in History from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), specializing in Medieval History. Beyond writing, she is the co-founder of the theatre company STRIGA. Professionally, she writes about culture, feminism, and LGBT activism with a specific focus on the reality of trans women for various Spanish media outlets, such as ElDiario.es , Vogue España , and SModa .
The author does not romanticize medical transition. She exposes the visceral horror of hormonal self-administration, the marks of needles, and the slow, painful process of recognizing oneself in the mirror.
Portero uses her background as a historian to elevate the gritty reality of her characters into myth. The abusive world is rendered through dark, epic parallels (Bluebeard), while the queer community is celebrated as legends.
The novel explores several themes that resonate with readers, including:
La mala costumbre (published in English as Bad Habit ), the debut novel by Spanish author, poet, and activist Alana S. Portero, has become a monumental success in contemporary queer literature. Since its release, readers worldwide have searched for formats like "La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub" to experience this deeply moving story on their e-readers.
The novel follows an unnamed protagonist navigating childhood and adolescence in a working-class neighborhood of Madrid, marked by the devastation of the heroin epidemic and the rigid social hierarchies of the time. The protagonist faces profound gender dysphoria and a sense of detachment from her own body and the world around her.
Rating: [insert rating, e.g., 4.5/5]
The central "mala costumbre" (bad habit) of the title is a masterful misdirection. On the surface, it refers to the protagonist's use of self-harm and substance abuse as coping mechanisms. But as you read, you realize the real bad habit is the world’s insistence on lying about who she is.
Unlike many mainstream queer narratives centered on affluent urbanites, Portero places working-class reality at the forefront. The struggles of the protagonist are inseparable from the financial precarity, labor strikes, and community solidarity of San Blas.
Portero’s prose is poetic, precise, and emotionally charged.
Sony PS4 Pro ñàìàÿ ìîùíàÿ êîíñîëü PlayStation 2020 ãîäà. Âûáèðàéòå êîìïëåêòàöèè ïî ëó÷øåé öåíå. Ïîìîæåì â âûáîðå è áåñïëàòíî äîñòàâèì!
Upon its release, La mala costumbre became a literary phenomenon in Spain before being translated into multiple languages. Critics have compared Portero’s prose to that of Jeanette Winterson and Pedro Almodóvar, noting her ability to find breathtaking beauty in the middle of squalor and heartbreak.
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.
What sets La mala costumbre apart is Portero's distinct voice. While the subject matter deals with trauma, violence, and systemic oppression, the prose is intensely lyrical, luminous, and poetic. Portero avoids sensationalism, opting instead for a deeply intimate and dignified portrayal of trans life.
If you love the melancholic grit of Pedro Almodóvar’s Law of Desire or the raw confessionals of Jean Genet, you will find a home here. Portero cites Pedro Lemebel (the Chilean queer writer) as a massive influence, and you can feel that. Like Lemebel, Portero uses the gutter as a pulpit. There is a deep Catholic iconography running through the novel—Virgins, wounds, martyrs—but Portero subverts it. The protagonist’s suffering is not redemptive for society; it is simply hers .
The novel contains explicit descriptions of: La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub
Note: When searching for "La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub", please consider supporting the author and the independent publishing community by purchasing authorized digital copies through official eBook retailers or accessing it legally via your local library's digital lending apps like Libby or BorrowBox.
: Trapped in a body and social role that feel alien, the narrator navigates her identity in a world that offers her no language to describe herself. She transitions from the isolation of her youth to finding a sense of belonging in Madrid's central party districts like Chueca. Found Family
To understand the novel, we must first understand its author. Alana S. Portero was born in Madrid in 1978 and grew up in the working-class neighborhood of San Blas. She is a woman of many talents: she is a writer, poet, playwright, and stage director. She holds a degree in History from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), specializing in Medieval History. Beyond writing, she is the co-founder of the theatre company STRIGA. Professionally, she writes about culture, feminism, and LGBT activism with a specific focus on the reality of trans women for various Spanish media outlets, such as ElDiario.es , Vogue España , and SModa .
The author does not romanticize medical transition. She exposes the visceral horror of hormonal self-administration, the marks of needles, and the slow, painful process of recognizing oneself in the mirror. Upon its release, La mala costumbre became a
Portero uses her background as a historian to elevate the gritty reality of her characters into myth. The abusive world is rendered through dark, epic parallels (Bluebeard), while the queer community is celebrated as legends.
The novel explores several themes that resonate with readers, including:
La mala costumbre (published in English as Bad Habit ), the debut novel by Spanish author, poet, and activist Alana S. Portero, has become a monumental success in contemporary queer literature. Since its release, readers worldwide have searched for formats like "La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub" to experience this deeply moving story on their e-readers.
The novel follows an unnamed protagonist navigating childhood and adolescence in a working-class neighborhood of Madrid, marked by the devastation of the heroin epidemic and the rigid social hierarchies of the time. The protagonist faces profound gender dysphoria and a sense of detachment from her own body and the world around her. She describes the smoke from factory chimneys and
Rating: [insert rating, e.g., 4.5/5]
The central "mala costumbre" (bad habit) of the title is a masterful misdirection. On the surface, it refers to the protagonist's use of self-harm and substance abuse as coping mechanisms. But as you read, you realize the real bad habit is the world’s insistence on lying about who she is.
Unlike many mainstream queer narratives centered on affluent urbanites, Portero places working-class reality at the forefront. The struggles of the protagonist are inseparable from the financial precarity, labor strikes, and community solidarity of San Blas.
Portero’s prose is poetic, precise, and emotionally charged.
