[Book review] The Bad Girl

by Ana Zarb | Sep 4, 2020 | Reviews

The Bad Girl (Travesura de la niña mala), by Mario Vargas Llosa, was a welcoming surprise in my readings this year. I remember having a professor in university recommending this book and his enthusiasm planted the title and the author in my mind.

This is the unconventional love story of Ricardo Somocurcio, a Peruvian translator whose only dream is to live in Paris, and Lily, his femme fatale love interest who comes in and out of his life as she pleases; each time with a new name, a new husband and a new location attached.

They meet in high school and Lily catches Somocurcio’s attention by being wilder and wittier than the other girls in his group of friends. Soon, he learns she is not who she said to be, but it does not matter anymore as he is already enamored with the girl.

The teenage romance carries on throughout their lives and while he becomes the purest source of love for her, she turns into is his fount of adventures and the only appearing moving force of his ordinary life.

The repetitiveness of the departures and arrivals is easily forgotten as the author always seems to find new ways to create conflicts and resolutions.

Another interesting component of this novel is the historical one. It travels through at least 30 years of social and political transformations, such as the Cuban revolution and the hippie movement.

As the end approached, I could not help, but wonder if the author was going to ruin his composition. Gladly, that was not the case. In fact, it was what made this book an unforgettable one for me.

Winner of the Nobel Prize Literature in 2010, Vargas Llosa narrates this captivating semi-autobiographical piece in a well-sewed way. He was simple and smart with his words and each page made me want to read the next one. And as I closed the book, I felt that famous joy of having read a beautiful story.

What about you? Do you have any books that made you feel this way? Let me know.

Your friend,

Ana.