The dark years

BOOK REVIEW

THE DARK YEARS

Author: Eva Gallud From the reader report by: André Gabastou

Los Años oscuros describes a voyage into darkness from absolute luminosity. A young girl searches for light in Madrid in order to resuscitate her father who, for her entire lifetime, has tried to be a dead man. This tale highlights the loneliness that is so prevalent in our time and strongly criticises the solitude created by social constraints, which leaves us even more alone.

Each page of this tale, which takes place in a Madrid hospital where a father lies dying from cancer, combines emotional accuracy and free will.

A story of abandon and prodigious fathers, who fall like dead weights into the inexperienced arms of their children, who in turn evoke them with exquisite restraint, in stories that get straight to the point. Stories of secrets, strangeness (the relationship between the narrator and a mysterious French woman named Solange) and mirrors, allowing the protagonist to observe life as if memory were the master of the universe.

The book brings to mind The Stranger by Camus, because of the harmony between the subject matter and the language used, but not only that. The sparse nature of the tale allows the language to carve out its meaning and demonstrate its pertinence. Nothing seems artificial, the tone is always perfect. An important and captivating first novel on absurdity and emotional distress.

PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS FR

DIECISÉIS EDITORIAL

Title THE DARK YEARS LOS AÑOS OSCUROS

Author Eva Gallud Genre Literature Pages 250

ISBN 978-84-94894-06-0 Year of publication 2020 Number of editions 1 Language Spanish Spanish retail price 13.99 €

Author’s biography: Eva Gallud, was born in Madrid and has a degree in English Language. She has spent fifteen years devoted to literary translation. The authors she has translated include poets such as Emily Dickinson, Vera Brittain, Rose Macaulay, Margaret Sackville, Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, and Amy Lowell, as well as novelists such as Mary Austin, Edith Wharton, Guy de Maupassant, Henri Barbusse, and D.H. Lawrence. She enjoys translating as much as she enjoys reading and writing. The alchemy of transferring between one language and another offers a satisfaction that goes far beyond the final translated text. The search and the journey are a learning process and always provide sources of inspiration. Until now, Gallud’s preferred form of expression has been poetry and her pen has instigated many, often unexpected journeys. As a result, the author has participated in festivals across Spain such as, Cosmpoética (Córdoba, 2019) and Vociferio 2019.

Synopsis: The dark years is an intimist tale that plumbs the depths of the fears and tensions inherent in the all-consuming world we now live in. The passing of time, sickness, and the construction of desire are all among the themes this book reflects upon and are confronted by its main protagonist. An absent father who reappears and a virtual woman who materialises from the landscape of social media are the instigators of a search for identity that takes place in libraries, cafes, and on the bustling streets of Madrid. This is a story about unasked questions that can only be answered by looking within oneself. This novel unites Eva Gallud’s poetry imbued prose with the experience of illness to bring us a tale of family, work, relationships, and how all of these elements come together to form the self and the emotions this provokes.

Publisher: Editorial Dieciséis Our focus is quality writing by new Spanish authors. We are tired of how large publishers, for the sake of guaranteeing sales, award the title of writer to celebrities and the way this degrades our national literature.

Publishing rights available from: Editorial Dieciséis --28841100C Pincel 16, Sevilla www.editorialdieciseis.com Contact: Fernando Peña Hoyos [info@editorialdieciseis.com] Phone: (+34) 686 812 765