Named 1 of the best fiction books of 2018 by the NY Times en Español
In lucid and compelling prose, Ampuero sheds light on the hidden aspects of the home: the grotesque realities of family, coming of age, religion, and class struggle. A family’s maids witness a horrible cycle of abuse, a girl is auctioned off by a gang of criminals, and two sisters find themselves at the mercy of their spiteful brother. With violence masquerading as love, characters spend their lives trapped reenacting their past traumas.
“Heralding a brutal and singular new voice, Cockfight explores the power of the home to both create and destroy those within it.” —Independent Book Review
“Ampuero leads the international wave of Ecuadorian writers.” —NY Times en Español
“Ampuero writes with steely nerves and an ear for the beauty of simple, concrete language—not a word feels out of place.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Deftly written with spare, exacting prose, Cockfight. . . .presents searing portraits of family life.” —Latino Book Review
“Wielded like a righteous cudgel against exploitative power, this Ecuadorian debut makes no bones about its intentions from the get-go. . . . Ampuero fights dirty and, frankly, that’s just the sort of writer we need.” —Center for the Art of Translation
“Ampuero’s literary voice is tough and beautiful at once: her stories are exquisite and dangerous objects.” —Yuri Herrera
“María Fernanda Ampuero’s voice is urgent, intimate, lyrical while never forgetting to cast humor during the darkest of violent moments.” —Ernesto Quiñonez
(Group read suggestion from Beth McCrea, book club co-founder.)