Bad habit A novel

Raw, unapologetic, and ingenious in its expressions of pain, Bad Habit bravely bares the scars of being queer in an unaccepting society while illuminating unexpected pockets of hope and tenderness. In first-person narration combining ethereal lyricism with intimate confessions, Portero's protagonist, a trans woman, recounts her adolescence in a poverty-stricken, gender-prescriptive area of Madrid plagued with heroin addiction. An astute observer and visionary thinker, she penetrates scenes of domestic violence, transphobia, and sex work amongst other harsh realities, deconstructing the scripts of masculinity and femininity. Using references to historical or mythological feminine figures, like Lady Godiva, the narrator skillfully craves a dreamlike space to protect women--one that is juxtaposed against the book's blunt descriptions of gender-based violence. This contrast confronts both the lack of safe spaces for women and queer people and the torment caused by having to hide one's true self. Hidden within this heartrending story is the healing power of caregiving within women's circles, offering novel ways to consider feminine alliances, just as the narrator reclaims her identity as "every woman."