At the beginning of the Transition, two young girls see how their world folds at their feet. One, Sandra Mozarowski, starts acting in movies, appears in magazines and receives the King's attention in person. The second, Clara, sees how the gray world of the dictatorship that squandered the aspirations of his mother gives way to a time of debauchery and freedom for which she will have to pay a high price.
El asesino tímido is the true story of two women, two generations who come into conflict when the country’s reality changes with the advent of democracy, bringing down the curtain on the dark decades of Francoism.
Applauded by Spanish critics ("A sensational book, brave, surprising, wild and loving." Marta Sanz; "A prodigy", Josep M. Pou) El asesino tímido, now published by Sellerio in Italy, is having an excellent reception in the Italian criticism:
“A wonderful story.” Concita de Gregorio, La Repubblica
“An intense novel about life and our relationship with death; about growing up and learning to reflect upon the years of youthful recklessness with respect, in which we can find the presence of Ludwig Wittgenstein when he said that ‘only death gives meaning to life’.” ANSA, Cultura
“A book that talks about the thing we should silence, the ones we can’t say but that, in reality, are the only ones that matter.” Il Fatto Quotidiano
“Clara Usón is a brave writer as few are, powerful when handling images and words, acrobatic and ungraspable. We have no choice but to paraphrase her (and Pavese) —although now I am talking about life and not death—, when we find ourselves face to face with this novel, and we see our reflection in it”. Antonella Latanzi, Tuttolibri
“El asesino tímido, by Clara Usón, is a little miracle”. Cristina Battocletti (Il Sole)
“Creative and experimental works such as El asesino tímido is what our age needs, which asks for literature to, above all, surprise the reader and to appear alive even at the expense of putting itself at risk”. Antonio Debenedetti (Corriere della Sera)