Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC!

I often struggle with books written before the 1990s to be honest, but January was originally written in Spanish in the 50s and this translation by Maureen O’Shaughnessy and Frances Riddle is 10/10! I still had one or two struggles with the pacing and subtlety (I don’t like to be knocked over the head with themes but I also don’t like feeling like I’m grasping in the dark), but overall I was impressed by this 20th century offering from Argentina!

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I was surprised to initially learn that January had been written in the 50s, as it deals with themes of r*pe and abortion in a way that feels much more modern. A 16-year-old farm girl, Nefer, is r*ped and subsequently falls pregnant, and this short book follows her moral dilemma as she tries to hide her pregnancy from her family and decides whether or not to try for a backstreet abortion. Apparently this book blew open discussion around abortion and women’s rights in Argentina when it was first published, so I’m glad English-speaking readers will get to experience this groundbreaking novella!

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In few words, Gallardo exposes the sexist and hypocritical workings of a Catholic society, men who take what they want from women but then shame and shun them for what the men have caused.

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I didn’t really care for the subplot of Nefer’s infatuation with another man, and that did take up a fair amount of space given it’s only just over 100 pages. I would also recommend sitting down with it and reading it through in one sitting - I did not do this and I feel like the emotional impact was somewhat weakened by reading it over two days!