Given that the subject matter is of a daughter coming to terms with the loss of her beloved mother, I had anticipated an emotionally challenging read. Yet the story is told with such tenderness that it had a lightness of touch I wasn’t expecting. Blanquita returns to her mother’s home in Cadaqués with family, friends and two ex-husbands for support. Sex plays a key role in helping Blanquita reconnect with the living, while grieving the dead.
For all the love of my friends, of my children, it isn’t enough to withstand the impact of you not being here – I need to be held tightly by a man so as not to fly away.