Guatemala

Severina, written by Guatemalan author Rodrigo Rey Rosa and translated by Chris Andrews. This edition was published by Yale University Press in 2014, the novel was first published in Spanish in 2011.

This is a short book, the language concise and clear, about a bookseller and a book thief. It is perhaps best summed up by the first paragraph "I noticed her the first time she came in the store, and right from the start I picked her for a thief, although that day she didn't take anything." There's a backdrop of misogyny to this novel, the old stereotype of a siren, whether it speaks to the broader culture of the country is up for debate.

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