Spanish / Spain
Aurora o nunca
(Aurora or never)
Various authors
(text)
[Zaragoza]: Edelvives, [2018]. – 243 p.
(Series: Alandar; 163)
ISBN 978-84-140-1138-6
Guilt | Curse | Gothic novel
Reading age: 12+
White Ravens issue: 2018
Dark, spooky, and full of suspense, this book follows the best gothic novel tradition. The inhabitants of the town of Aurora on the coast of northern Spain are marked: An event that occurred generations ago hovers over them as an insoluble curse. Their ancestors plundered a ship that had been destroyed in a storm, and their unatoned guilt still haunts both those who leave Aurora and those who return. Every chapter introduces a new character and reveals their entanglement in the old story, which no one speaks openly about. Twenty-four glimpses are offered into twenty-four lives that at first seem unconnected, but which gradually come together until an overall picture emerges. Ten renowned Spanish writers of young adult books, including Ana Alcolea, Alfredo Gómez Cerdá, Gonzalo Moure, and Mónica Rodríguez, co-wrote the book. Apart from their narrative mastery, their achievement lies in creating a coherent, gripping novel from so many different voices and perspectives.