Read La mala costumbre if you are tired of sanitized queer stories told from a gentrified perspective. Read it if you want to understand how class and gender intersect in the dirt and blood of real life. Read it if you have a "bad habit" of your own—the habit of hiding, of hurting, or of believing you don’t deserve love.
The story eventually circles back to her roots, where caring for a dying trans neighbor and reconnecting with her past helps her finally choose to live as her true self. Key Themes Identity and Sisterhood: La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub
Set in the 1980s and 90s, the novel follows an unnamed narrator growing up in San Blas, a working-class neighborhood in Madrid ravaged by the heroin epidemic. Born into a boy’s body but possessing an unshakable knowledge of her identity as a girl, she navigates a world defined by rigid patriarchy and the ever-present threat of violence. Read La mala costumbre if you are tired
The novel emphasizes the power of "found family" and the mentorship the protagonist receives from older, world-weary trans sex workers. Mythology and the Divine: The story eventually circles back to her roots,