My faith in short story collections has been quickly restored with Cockfight! Ecuadorian author María Fernanda Ampuero’s collection is absolutely fierce, punch-you-in-the-throat fantastic. No holds are barred within these stories, with Ampuero fearlessly exposing the darkest underbellies of humanity.

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The first story in the collection does a brilliant job of setting the tone for the rest of the collection. A young woman is kidnapped and forced to draw upon her experiences in the brutal world of cock-fighting with her father as a child to save herself. From there we have an unceasing spitfire of stories, mostly featuring women, often siblings, who overcome, resist, challenge and defy.

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It’s a slim collection and the stories are succinct too. There’s no fluff or filler. Each one goes straight in for the kill, with an unflinching translation by Frances Riddle. All 13 stories have something that sticks with you, but if I have to play favourites I’d go with Passion, Mourning and Auction.

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Please check the content warnings on @the.storygraph before diving in - this collection touches on things like incest, child abuse and domestic abuse so tread lightly, but it’s a bloody stellar collection.