Criaturita
Told through the eyes of a girl who clings to self-deception as her only lifeline, Criaturita fearlessly moves between rural thriller, family drama, coming-of-age novel, and the fantastic.
Kaila lives with her mother in Aguas Claras, one of the picturesque towns that surround Lake Milagro. Since the death of her father—a biologist obsessed with the creature that local legend claims lurks beneath the water—Kaila has been trapped in a grief with no way out. She doesn’t sleep, she doesn’t eat, and she wakes drenched in the lake’s freshwater. When several women go missing, Kaila joins the search, determined to prove her father was right. Whatever lies beneath the surface, she’s certain it’s behind the disappearances.
PRESS
«A novel with a touch of Twin Peaks, a pinch of Northern Exposure, and a whole lot of Bastarós. It’s the kind of book you read in one sitting — and with real pleasure.» ElDiario.es
«Tender, twisted, violently funny. A game of shadows and mirrors to tell what cannot be said. Addictive.» Alana S. Portero, bestselling author of Bad Habit
«So well written, such powerful character building, and such a masterful way of sustaining narrative tension by playing with the reader’s anticipation of what’s to come.» Layla Martínez, bestselling author of Woodworm
«Criaturita feels like an electric current under the skin. The author crafts a universe that is as fascinating as it is unsettling, she stirs, provokes, forces us to face what we would usually turn away from. Her prose, sharp yet poetic, transforms each scene into a distorted mirror.» Carlos Domínguez, La Vanguardia
«María Bastarós blends mystery and science fiction elements to explore the relationships between mothers and daughters.» Ana Fernández Abad, SModa/El País
«Bastarós utilizes the figure of the monster not to construct a horror story, but as a metaphor for family inheritance, guilt and obsession.» Beatriz Martínez, Infobae
«Bastarós has crafted a narrative puzzle whose pieces fall into place with striking grace. The story is exceptionally robust, driven by a singular voice and a vivid, unmistakably personal imagination. Through the opposing perspectives of her two central characters—a daughter and a mother—she finds the novel’s true tension and, ultimately, its core.» Raquel Moraleja, Zenda
«She presents a fable about the presences and absences within a family, and what they signify.» El Salto Magazine
TRANSLATIONS
English World: Primero Sueño Press/S&S
