Pilar Quintana’s 2021 Alfaguara Prize-winning novel, Los abismos , is a haunting exploration of the vertiginous gaps between childhood and adulthood. Set in 1980s Cali, Colombia, the story is told through the eyes of eight-year-old Claudia, who observes her family’s unraveling with a mixture of innocence and chilling clarity. The Domestic Jungle
: The novel suggests that the "abyss"—depression, boredom, and social expectations—is a legacy passed down through women, from Claudia’s grandmother to her mother, and potentially to Claudia herself. A Masterclass in Perspective
Reviewers from World Literature Today and ResearchGate have noted that Quintana’s strength lies in her ability to maintain a child's voice without sacrificing the story's mature, dark undertones. The result is a narrative that feels both intimate and expansive, capturing the universal terror of realizing that one’s parents are fragile, fallible humans. About the Author
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