La Mala Costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub May 2026
The author does not romanticize medical transition. She exposes the visceral horror of hormonal self-administration, the marks of needles, and the slow, painful process of recognizing oneself in the mirror.
If you love the melancholic grit of Pedro Almodóvar’s Law of Desire or the raw confessionals of Jean Genet, you will find a home here. Portero cites Pedro Lemebel (the Chilean queer writer) as a massive influence, and you can feel that. Like Lemebel, Portero uses the gutter as a pulpit. There is a deep Catholic iconography running through the novel—Virgins, wounds, martyrs—but Portero subverts it. The protagonist’s suffering is not redemptive for society; it is simply hers.
One of the most devastating chapters involves the "literature of the fallen," where the protagonist is forced to read sensationalist crime novels about murdered trans women as a form of entertainment for the masses. Portero’s meta-commentary on how society consumes trans suffering is sharp, angry, and desperately necessary.
Upon its release in 2023, La mala costumbre did not just enter the literary market; it stormed it.
The book won the Premio Finestres de Narrativa and the Premio Cálamo, solidifying Portero’s voice as a fundamental pillar of 21st-century literature. Unlike many heteronormative writers attempting to write trans stories, Portero writes from the entrails of experience. She is a trans woman, historian, and cultural agitator, and every page breathes authenticity.
The protagonist finds solace not in reality but in fantasy: B-movies, castillos góticos, and the novels of Anne Rice. The EPUB format allows you to hyperlink these references, creating a web of intertextuality.
As the subject is an .epub file, the following technical attributes are standard for this distribution type:
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.
Alana S. Portero has written a eulogy for the girls who didn’t make it and a battle cry for those still hiding in their bedrooms, listening to their fathers yell. It is a brutal read, but a sacred one.
Rating: 5/5 stars. Trigger warnings: Transphobia, self-harm, sexual violence, drug abuse, AIDS crisis.
Have you read La mala costumbre? Or are you waiting for the English translation (Bad Habit)? Let me know your thoughts below.
Alana S. Portero's " La mala costumbre " is a powerful coming-of-age story that follows a trans woman finding her identity in working-class Madrid, navigating a hostile world while forging a path of resilience. The novel blends gritty realism with poetic reflection, tracing her journey from childhood in San Blas to embracing her true self and finding a sense of arrival. La mala costumbre - Alana S. Portero.epub
Also confirm whether you have the epub's text available to provide specific passages or whether I should work from publicly available summaries and analysis.
La mala costumbre (translated as Bad Habit) by Alana S. Portero is a critically acclaimed coming-of-age novel that explores the intersections of trans identity, social class, and the landscape of post-Franco Spain. Core Narrative & Setting
The Protagonist: The story follows an unnamed narrator (referred to as Álex in some contexts) growing up as a trans girl trapped in a boy’s body.
Setting: Set in the 1980s and 90s, primarily in San Blas, a working-class neighborhood of Madrid ravaged by the heroin epidemic.
The Struggle: The narrator navigates a "double life," hiding her true self to avoid violence and social ostracization while observing the world of women—including her mother and neighbors—with a mix of idealization and fear. Major Themes
Bad Habit by Alana S Portero review – in search of acceptance
La mala costumbre (Bad Habit) by Alana S. Portero is a critically acclaimed coming-of-age novel depicting a trans woman's journey through 1980s and 90s working-class Madrid. The narrative highlights themes of identity, trans sisterhood, and the search for acceptance, often utilizing raw realism mixed with mythical imagery. Read a full review at The Guardian
Portero fiercely criticizes the mainstream LGBTI movement for focusing on marriage equality and corporate flags while ignoring the trans women dying of AIDS, poverty, or violence on the outskirts of cities. The novel opposes the "respectable" gay man with economic resources and the trans woman del barrio.
La Mala Costumbre: Un Análisis Profundo de la Obra de Alana S. Portero
Introducción
En el mundo de la literatura contemporánea, la obra "La Mala Costumbre" de Alana S. Portero ha generado un gran impacto en la audiencia y la crítica. Esta novela, publicada recientemente, ha logrado capturar la atención de lectores de todas las edades y géneros, gracias a su narrativa envolvente y su exploración profunda de temas universales. En este artículo, nos sumergiremos en el análisis de "La Mala Costumbre", descubriendo sus características más destacadas y el impacto que ha tenido en el público. The author does not romanticize medical transition
Sinopsis
"La Mala Costumbre" es una novela que gira en torno a la vida de una protagonista cuyo nombre no se revela hasta avanzado el libro. La historia sigue su trayectoria mientras navega por una relación tumultuosa y adictiva con una persona que se convierte en su pareja y, a su vez, en su verdugo. A medida que avanza la trama, la protagonista se ve envuelta en un ciclo de abuso y dependencia, del que intenta liberarse a través de un proceso de autoconocimiento y crecimiento personal.
Temas Principales
Análisis Literario
La escritura de Alana S. Portero en "La Mala Costumbre" se caracteriza por su sencillez y profundidad. La autora utiliza un lenguaje directo y accesible, lo que hace que la historia sea fácil de seguir y entender. Sin embargo, no por ello pierde profundidad; al contrario, consigue explorar temas complejos con una madurez y sensibilidad admirables.
La estructura de la novela, con sus capítulos cortos y cronología no lineal, contribuye a mantener al lector en vilo. Portero maneja con habilidad los tiempos verbales y los giros argumentales, evitando que la trama se vuelva predecible.
Impacto en el Público
"La Mala Costumbre" ha resonado profundamente en el público. Los lectores han respondido de manera emotiva a la historia, agradeciendo la representación realista y sensible de temas que a menudo son silenciados o banalizados. La novela ha generado conversaciones importantes sobre el abuso, la salud mental y la importancia de buscar ayuda.
Conclusión
"La Mala Costumbre" de Alana S. Portero es una obra maestra de la literatura contemporánea que no solo entretiene sino que también educa y sensibiliza. A través de su relato crudo y emocional, Portero nos recuerda la importancia de la empatía, la resiliencia y el autoconocimiento. Esta novela es una lectura esencial para aquellos interesados en la psicología humana, el crecimiento personal y la literatura que marca la diferencia.
I’m unable to directly open or read the specific .epub file you’ve named, as I don’t have access to your local device or files. However, I can certainly help you write a piece (e.g., a review, analysis, summary, or reflection) about the book La mala costumbre by Alana S. Portero. The book won the Premio Finestres de Narrativa
If you provide me with:
I can craft a custom literary piece — be it a critical essay, a personal reading diary entry, a comparative analysis, or a poetic response.
Alternatively, if you just need a general overview of the book (based on its known content, as La mala costumbre is a well-known contemporary Spanish novel about growing up trans in a working-class neighborhood of Madrid), I can write that too.
Let me know which direction you prefer.
A feature on Alana S. Portero's La mala costumbre (English title:
) would highlight it as a raw, poetic coming-of-age story centered on the trans experience in working-class Madrid during the 1980s and 90s. Key Features for a Review or Feature Article Alana S. Portero presents Bad Habit - Instituto Cervantes
La mala costumbre (English title: Bad Habit) is the 2023 debut novel by Spanish playwright and poet Alana S. Portero. A visceral and lyrical coming-of-age story, the book has become an international literary phenomenon, translated into over 17 languages. It explores the intersections of gender, class, and identity in post-Franco Spain. Plot Overview
The novel follows an unnamed narrator, a young trans girl born into a boy’s body, as she navigates the working-class neighborhood of San Blas in Madrid during the 1980s and '90s.
Childhood in San Blas: Growing up in a suburb ravaged by the heroin epidemic, the protagonist feels isolated and "trapped in a body she does not know how to inhabit".
Double Life: As a teenager, she begins to explore Madrid’s clandestine nightlife and the gay neighborhood of Chueca, living as a woman by night while maintaining a male persona by day.
Search for Community: Through encounters with "fallen angels"—junkies, pop divas, and world-weary trans sex workers—she eventually finds the "chosen family" and sisterhood necessary to survive a society that denies her existence. Key Themes
Bad Habit by Alana S Portero review – in search of acceptance
While the ".epub" extension in your search query refers to a specific digital file format (an e-book format), the following is a helpful report on the literary work itself, its themes, and its significance.
