“Piedad Bonnett’s writing brings together the virtues I admire most in literature: depth and conciseness. The misfortune narrated in this novel could knock you out, but it is adorned with images that turn it into a comforting shock. It’s a merciless portrait of family ties (...), of the deterioration of relationships, of homes, of the body, of one’s own gaze, of marriage. In addition to the guilty weight we carry when our parents grow old and the ever-open wound of being a mother, the text points to less obvious, though equally painful, connections. Like that of elderly spouses steeped in resentment who no longer tolerate even a laconic conversation, or that of the landlady and the employee who are united by a lackadaisical loyalty. The journey leaves us facing a void with a question that can redeem or finish us floating in front of us: was it worth it? Readers of the world, read this book—it’s worth it.” ”