Bad Habit

(Paperback)

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I urge you to read Bad Habit' PEDRO ALMODVAR

'Had me hooked from the first page Savour every word' DUA LIPA

The book that everyone is reading NEW YORK TIMES

'Sublime' DOUARD LOUIS

A SERVICE95 BOOK CLUB PICK

Beautifully written and told in an irresistible voice, Bad Habit is a powerfully moving coming-of-age novel following a young trans woman in 1980s Madrid.

An unnamed young trans woman grows up in a working-class suburb that has no place for her. She discovers community and kinship in downtown Madrid, amid a dazzling party scene animated by charming junkies, glamorous pop divas, and fallen angels. With each step she takes forward in the city, she finds herself confronted by an antagonism she does not yet know how to counter. In this thrilling and yet often frightening place each decision can have the highest of stakes and yet she knows that only she can forge a path forward to the life she truly wants to live.

Beautiful and deeply moving, Bad Habit by Alana S Portero is translated by Mara Faye Lethem, and deftly illuminates the search for identity and the power of chosen family. Bad Habit is an unforgettable story of self-realisation that speaks to the outsider in all of us.

'A work of deep humility GUARDIAN

An engulfing novel AVNI DOSHI

Believe the hype!' OKECHUKWU NZELU

A revelation made me weep more than once SABA SAMS

Infused with camp humour, pathos and the spirit of resilience AMELIA ABRAHAMS

'Affecting and evocative' OBSERVER

'Painful yet unquestionably hopeful' NICOLA DINAN

Porteros elegant storytelling catches a celestial light ELOGHOSA OSUNDE

Leaves you stunned TRAVIS ALABANZA

Obliges the reader to hold back (or unleash) their feelings chapter after chapter VOGUE SPAIN

The most talked-about debut of the year TIME OUT SPAIN

Reviews

'Had me hooked from the first page Savour every word' Dua Lipa

I urge you, read Bad Habit to fully grasp the degree of adversity, pain, and danger endured for virtue of growing-up trans Pedro Almodvar

A sublime novel It is one of the most moving novels I have read in recent years douard Louis, author of Change

'The book that everyone is reading tells the story of a working-class transgender woman full of rage and beauty, pain and poetry' New York Times

'Affecting and evocative incredibly heartening' Observer

'A work of deep humility, spilling over with prose rich as double cream Guardian

Porteros elegant storytelling catches a celestial light, illuminating the body in ways beyond language Eloghosa Osunde, author of Vagabonds!

'Porteros prose is so commanding painful yet unquestionably hopeful' Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies

An exemplary and fresh example of the trans bildungsroman Poignant Washington Post

Leaves you stunned Devastating yet beautiful Special and unique' Travis Alabanza, author of None of the Above

Elegant and brutal Morgan M Page, author of Boys Dont Cry

Affecting and poetic Keenly observed New York Times Book Review

Incredibly moving, completely absorbing Unforgettable Okechukwu Nzelu, author of Here Again Now

A beautiful novel about the journey we take to become who we truly are Elena Medel, author of The Wonders

Vivid, compassionate and compulsive' Rachel Dawson, author of Neon Roses

A ballad, a quest, a revelation Saba Sams, author of Send Nudes

A story of defiance that makes you proud to be queer Amelia Abrahams, author of Queer Intentions

A singular and raw voice The most talked-about debut of the year Time Out Spain

Engulfing Portero had me captivated with her visceral prose Avni Doshi, author of Burnt Sugar

Brutal, tender, and vulnerable A masterpiece Marisa Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself

Author Bio

Alana S. Portero is a medieval historian, writer, playwright, LGBTQ+ activist and co-founder of the theatre company STRIGA. Her writings on feminism and LGBTQ+ activism from the perspective of a trans woman have been featured in a number of international publications, including Agente Provocador, El Salto, S Moda and Vogue. Bad Habit is her debut novel and spent over 17 weeks on the bestseller list on publication in Spain. She lives in Madrid.