Colombian writer Pilar Quintana talks about her acclaimed novel The Bitch which explores themes of motherhood, loss, and the impact of violence on women's lives. Set against the backdrop of the Pacific coast, the story revolves around Damaris, a young woman longing for a child but unable to conceive. When she discovers a pregnant dog near her home, she becomes obsessed with the idea of adopting one of its puppies. However, her evolving relationship with the puppy becomes entangled with the violence of the society around her, revealing dark secrets and triggering a journey of self-discovery. Through Quintana's lyrical prose, the novel delves deep into the complexities of human relationships, motherhood in particular, the scars left by conflict, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. (Photo: Author Pilar Quintana. Credit: Danilo Costa)
Welcome to the World Book Club podcast.
I'm Harriet Gilbert, and this month we've been reading a dark, unsettling novel about a childless woman who adopts a puppy.
It's called the Bitch.
And joining me to answer questions about it from BBC listeners around the world is its Colombian author, Pilar Quintana.
Pilar, welcome to World Book Club and welcome to Britain.
Thank you very much.
I'm very excited and happy to be here.
Well, we're very excited and happy to have you.
I gather you're going off to the Hay Literary Festival after this.
I am, yes.
Well, Pilar Quintana has written a short story collection and five novels.
The most recent, the one she'll be talking about at Hay Being the Abyss.
But today we're focusing on her previous novel, the Bitch, a book that's been variously described as heartbreaking, raw yet beautiful and profound, and which has so far been translated into more than 20 languages.
Its central character is a fisherman's wife called Damaris.
About to turn 40, Damaris is heartbroken because she's never had a child, and when a neighbour's dog dies, leaving a litter of newborn puppies, she asks if she can take one of them, a tiny female, its eyes not yet open, and she names the puppy Cirli, a name she'd always hoped to give a daughter, Damaris.
Life isn't easy, however.
Often her husband, Rogelio braves the storms of the Pacific Ocean.
His fishing doesn't earn much money, so the couple supplement their income by caring for the house of an absentee family who allow them to live in a shack in the grounds.
It's a hard existence then, and dangerous, but at least at first it seems that all's going well with Damaris Puppy and Pilar Quintana.
Would you read from very near the beginning of the novel, this is where Damaris is caring for the tiny creature.