O parque das irmãs magníficas

In a park on the edge of Córdoba, Argentina, a group of trans women, the travestis, work as sex workers at night. The narrator, Camila, joins their community as a young trans woman arriving from a small town. Camila Sosa Villada gives each woman a vivid personality: the matriarch Tía Encarna, who adopts a baby found in the park, the warm Maria la Muda, and others. They live in a boarding house, support one another against police and violence, and tell stories of their lives in a mix of grim and tender scenes.

Readers who want fiction rooted in a marginalised community, written with humour and fierce love, will find a distinctive voice. The book gives an unvarnished look at survival and chosen family.

Inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

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