These three novellas, by a writer who has earned her place in the forefront of Central American literature, explore three critical stages in a woman's life and are an extraordinary example of Claribel Alegria's ability to weave the magical and the real, the fantastic and the horrific. Karen, a young 'corrupted' Catholic school girl, talks to the walls and forms a strange relationship with an especially prudish nun. Ximena, a Nicaraguan woman living in Paris, finds herself being drawn into the 1979 revolution even though she is thousands of miles away. Marcia moves with her husband to Deya, a small mystical town in Mallorca where everyday life is a bizarre mixture of the supernatural and natural worlds.

Claribel Alegría was a Salvadorian-Nicaraguan poet, essayist, novelist, and journalist who was a major voice in the literature of contemporary Central America. She has been called "one of the region's finest writers" by The Washington Post. Alegría published over forty books, including fifteen collections of poetry, and was a recipient of the Casa de las Americas Prize of Cuba. Her works in English include Ashes of Izalco, Luisa in Realityland, and Family Album. She was awarded the 2006 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. She died in 2018.

Amanda Hopkinson is a British scholar and literary translator, best known for her translations of contemporary Latin American literature. She currently lives in Norwich.