Fernanda Melchor’s formidable portrait of Mexico and its demons, written with a brutal lyricism that is as affecting as it is enthralling. The English edition is translated by Sophie Hughes

Hurricane Season opens with the macabre discovery of a decomposing body on the outskirts a village in rural Mexico. The body is that of the local witch, feared by the men but relied upon by the women for love charms and illegal abortions. The book soon transcends its whodunnit constraints: the culprits are named early on in the story. The questions shifts from who to why, as Melchor paints a portrait of lives governed by poverty and violence, machismo and misogyny, superstition and prejudice. A Netflix film adaptation will be released on November 1 2023.

Shortlisted
The 2020 International Booker Prize
Published by
Fitzcarraldo Editions
Publication date

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Fernanda Melchor

Fernanda Melchor

About the Author

Fernanda Melchor has been nominated twice for the International Booker Prize - longlisted in 2022 and shortlisted in 2020. She born in Veracruz, Mexico, in 1982, is a writer and journalist who lives and works in Puebla.
More about Fernanda Melchor
Sophie Hughes

Sophie Hughes

About the Translator

Sophie Hughes was born in Chertsey, UK. She is a literary translator from Spanish. 
More about Sophie Hughes

Other nominated books by Fernanda Melchor

Paradais

Other nominated books by Sophie Hughes

Paradais
Mac and His Problem
The Remainder