José Prats Sariol

Lila is a simply unforgettable adventure. The past is evoked with affection and authentic compassion, at times infused with a little bit of humor […] It is not easy, and much less common, to find a text that is so balanced yet moving at the same time. The story has a profound impact without indulging in melodrama. In her letters, the main character holds on to her memories like a shipwreck survivor clings to hope.

Prats Sariol has given us an epistolary novel and a crime novel all in one. The murder mystery is not solved until the very end; it is only in the last line that we find out how Lila and her good friend and accomplice in life, Virginia, died. This is something that only the best novels achieve without resorting to false trickery.

The present is taken one day at a time, without  asking for too much: being grateful is a virtue. The future, on the other hand, is revealed in conjunction with each reunion, especially the one with the beloved Valerio, late at night, somewhere in Europe. But I will say no more; read for yourself and enjoy. In Lila’s words: “I’ve just registered my exile. Tomorrow, in some corner, another foreigner will wave his handkerchief.”

Eliseo Alberto
(From his presentation of the original Spanish edition, in Puebla, on May 7, 2004)