The female dog

"A powerful and disturbing voice."

Irene Vallejo

In a small Pacific village, where the perfection of nature and the violence of the region converge, unfolds the story of Damaris, a woman from the area somewhat advanced in maturity who has been living with Rogelio for many years. Their turbulent relationship has been marked by the fruitless search for a child: they try everything possible, and still, she cannot get pregnant. Having lost all hope, Damaris finds new enthusiasm when she gets the opportunity to adopt a dog.

"You emerge from this book transformed. There's a perspective here on motherhood, cruelty, and the inexorability of nature —in the wild, beautiful yet brutal landscape of the Colombian coast— that is unforgettable." Mariana Enriquez

"Pilar Quintana possesses literary power, characterized by her firm pulse and serenity in narrating human passion, desire, and madness, as well as by the clarity and transparency of her detailed and complex novelistic artifices." Fernanda Melchor

With illustrations by Santiago Guevara

Critics have said:

"A very sensual book that gets under your skin. A breathtaking exploration of maternal desire in the beautiful landscapes of Colombia." Leila Slimani

"Tough and beautiful. Quintana uses very economical, sober, almost laconic language. In its great economy, it leaves the impression that nothing is superfluous." Héctor Abad Faciolince

"Quintana works wonders with her disillusioned, sober, powerful prose." Juan Gabriel Vásquez

"Simply perfect." Margarita García Robayo

"Pilar Quintana finds wounds we didn't know we had, points out their beauty, and then throws a handful of salt into them." Yuri Herrera

"A powerful text about a woman in rebellion who doesn't surrender completely to suffering." Ariane Singer, Le Monde

"In three words: singular, suffocating, disturbing." Laëtitia Favro, Lire