A classic surreal & subversive novel by one of the original magical realist authors, Luisa Valenzuela.Here's what the old masters say: "Luisa Valenzuela is the heiress of Latin American Fiction. She wears an opulent, baroque crown, but her feet are naked." -- Carlos Fuentes, author, Aura, & The Old Gringo; "Luisa Valenzuela's books are our present, but they also contain much of our future." -- Julio Cortazar, author, Hopscotch.What a new generation has to say: "Luisa Valenzuela is a super nova to the heart." -- Lidia Yuknavitch, author of Chronology of Water, Dora: A Head Case, The Small Backs of Children, & The Book of Joan; "Valenzuela's work is not precious. It is stark & sometimes raving mad. Jonathan Titler's translation is syntactically beautiful and las palabras se construyen para devastar..." -- Amy Temple Harper, author, Cramped Uptown