La llamada / The Call
Short stories and novellas , 1954
Destino
Pages: 256
Four short novels by Carmen Laforet reflecting postwar Spain
In The Call, Mercedes leaves her marital home in pursuit of her dreams, a journey that will ultimately lead her back to herself. An Engagement subverts the romance novel with Alicia, the submissive secretary in love with her boss… up to a point. In The Last Summer and The Piano, the generosity of Doña Pepita and the youthful joy of Rosa shed a different light on the harsh, torn landscape of postwar Spain, where hardship spared no one.
Four female characters and four unique narratives all pulse with a shared undertone of human connection and a rebellious vitality that conveys a striking sense of reality to the reader.
Written with a masterful, evocative style, Laforet’s sensitivity in these stories reaches an unparalleled refinement. For this reason and their themes, critics have seen them as a prelude to her next book, The New Woman.