Fifteen books for Mother's Day: from Gornik's feminism to Natalia Ginzburg's social struggle and Austen's classics.

Milena Busquets became a prestigious and essential writer when she fictionalized the death of her mother, the editor Esther Tusquets, ten years ago in This Too Shall Pass . Alejandro Palomas has created a moving saga based on the conversations and situations he experienced with his mother, Angélica, which has reconciled him with the pain of her loss, A Mother . Jorge Fernández Díaz , the recent Nadal Prize winner, wrote a beautiful portrait of Carmina, his mother, Mama . These are three examples of recent authors in the Spanish catalogue who have turned to the quintessential figure of universal literature, as the greatest did before them: Gorky, Doris Lessing, Brecht, Alice Munro... To celebrate Mother's Day, this Sunday, May 4 , we are 'giving away' fifteen titles related to them, women and mothers, and also to them, almost always sons and daughters attacked by the sadness of abandonment or indifference. There are definitely many mothers, and not all of them are good, exemplary, or even affectionate. Because who said they have to be perfect? ​​Literature has the power to exonerate them.

1. 'The Women's Surname', by Aurora Tamigio (Seix Barral)

What it's about : Rosa decides to run away from her home in Sicily. The year is 1925. With her decision, the 16-year-old gives rise to a lineage of women who will face a hostile 20th century, which uses modernity against them.

Why read it : Award-winning novel with the Bancarella booksellers' prize, it is the most acclaimed debut in Italy in recent years.

2. 'Notes from Inside the Whale', by Ave Barrera (Lumen)

What it's about : The protagonist returns home after a long time, where her mother remains unconscious due to surgery. The journey, like Jonah's, intimately and poignantly recounts the complex relationship between a daughter and her mother.

Why read it: Winner of the Sergio Galindo First Novel Prize and the Lipp Prize, this Mexican author's book has been recommended by authors such as Irene Vallejo.

3. Forbidden to Die Here, by Elizabeth Taylor (Libros del Asteroide)

What it's about : Mrs. Palfrey has moved into a hotel in London. At her age and widowed, her life should be centered around her daughter, with whom she barely speaks, and her grandson, who isn't in a hurry to visit her, even though he's made her a custom-made sweater. On one of her walks, she meets Ludo , a young bohemian with broken shoes who is writing a novel in the warmth of Harrods.

Why read it : Considered one of the best British writers in history, Taylor recreates a beautiful story between tenderness and loneliness.

4. 'My Stolen Life', by Carla Guelfenbein (Alfaguara)

What it's about : Lola was abandoned by her mother at age 8. This left her with significant emotional hardship and many complexes. One day, she receives a call that marks the beginning of a search: her mother has disappeared.

Why read it: The author, winner of the 2015 Alfaguara Prize , has been considered by Forbes magazine as one of the 50 most creative people in Chile.

5. 'We've Never Been So Happy' by Claire Lombardo (RBA)

What it's about : The Sorensons fell in love in the 1970s and have four daughters who are going through very different existential crises. The arrival of Jonah Bendt, who was given up for adoption 15 years earlier by one of the sisters, forces them to confront their past , amidst both resentment and joy.

Why read it : A finalist for the Women's Prize , it was recommended by actress Reese Witherspoon in her book club.

6. 'Why Some Men Hate Women' by Vivian Gornik (Sexto piso)

What's important: The texts collected in this book reveal a radical, lucid, and vibrant thinker, at the height of the feminist ferment of the 1970s . From the ideological disputes within the movement to the seemingly trivial conversations in a hair salon on New York's Upper West Side, Gornick captures the pulse of a historic transformation. She also denounces what she calls misogyny in authors such as Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, and Philip Roth.

Why read it : This combat guide reminds us that no achievement is irreversible and that women's autonomy must continue to be defended.

7. 'Aramat', by Ana Ballabriga and David Zaplana (Contraluz)

What it's about: Tamara and her husband resort to surrogacy in Ukraine to become parents. But the war causes them to lose contact with the surrogate mother, Aramat, and Tamara begins an odyssey in search of her unborn child. The journey is also an immersion in the secrets and sacrifices marked by the war.

Why read it: The authors describe the depths of a war disaster through the eyes of a mother, of love and hope.

8. 'The Illusionists', by Marcos Giralt Torrente (Anagrama)

What it tells: The author delves into the history of his maternal family to construct an epistolary novel, a biographical profile, and a beautiful introspective and formative account. It deals with memory and its inventive quality, elements of the past, and the weight of family stories and myths.

Why read it : It is the return of a great writer (on May 7), a personal memoir that begins with his grandparents, he, the magnificent Gonzalo Torrente Ballester.

9. 'The Painter of Light', by Inma Aguilera (Planeta)

What it tells: Seville, 1911. Nine years have passed since Trinidad traveled to the city to discover her family's history, linked to the legendary La Cartuja tableware. Having settled back in England and immersed herself in her work as a ceramist, she receives a letter from the Marchioness of Pickman that will bring her back with one goal: the construction of the Plaza de España.

Why read it: After the successful The Lady of La Cartuja , Inma Aguilera continues with this engaging and addictive historical saga.

10. 'Tomorrow', by Olalla Castro (Lumen)

What it's about: Virginia is a university professor who has built a universe full of light with her young daughter. Nothing else fits into this perfect life until tragedy strikes. Unable to find the words to describe the unspeakable, she decides to break away from everything in a remote location . A meeting with another woman will be her refuge.

Why read it : Poet Olalla Castro's debut novel is a thrilling story of grief, loss, and redemption.

11. 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen (Arpa editors)

What it's about : Elizabeth Bennet finds Mr. Darcy arrogant and distant. Their differences, however, conceal a love at first sight that must contend with the conventions of the era; an 18th century in which marriages were still arranged and women had little say. The quintessential Austen classic.

Why read it : The Austen-era version has two new assets: Ángeles Caso's translation and original illustrations (on sale on the 7th).

12. 'Another Summer Without a Town', by Beatriz de Silva (Temas de hoy)

What it's about: Isabel shares an apartment with two strangers, with whom she creates a sort of homey atmosphere. But they, her roommates, escape to their hometowns on weekends. Isabel doesn't have one , so she decides to invent one.

Why read it : Lies and emptiness hover over this debut novel about the courage of other families, those they meet along the way.

13. 'Good Ladies', by Pilar Eyre (Planeta)

What's on : Andrea comes to the rescue of her daughter, who is in serious trouble with her architectural practice, which she inherited from her mother. Age won't be a problem for her , even though she's in that position of being a well-to-do lady by birth.

Why read it : The author's irony, relatability, and humor serve to describe a period of fulfillment and reinvention for women and mothers over 60.

13. 'Three peninsulas', by Carlos Olmos (Caligrama)

What it's about: It's a travel book (the author's first) and an essay on asceticism, spirituality, prayer, and icons . It draws on research into the history of religions once forbidden to women. The characters featured are mostly pilgrims and monks.

Why read it: The author, a doctor by profession, used En tierra de Dioniso, by María Belmonte , because of the enthusiasm with which she spoke about Mount Athos and the impossibility of visiting it because she is a woman.

14. 'The Courtyard', by Thomas Korsgaard (Random House)

What it's about : Young Tue's world is on his farm, with his parents and siblings. There are also cows, dogs, and animal carcasses piled up in the back yard. His father reads the newspaper, and his mother plays cards and barely speaks . Tue feels that love has flown away and that words are lost.

Why read it : It is the first installment of the Tue Trilogy , a promising debut by this Danish writer that promises great things.

15. 'The Words of the Night', by Natalia Ginzburg (Lumen)

What it tells: Several families in a town near Turin are trying to escape fascist rule. Elsa, the narrator, is 27 and lives with her parents. Her single status is a source of concern for her mother, while she describes the stifling local atmosphere: unfulfilled dreams, heartbreak, and elusive happiness.

Why read it: The Italian writer, who died in 1991, is one of the sharpest, most sensitive, and most brilliant voices in European literature . Her husband, from whom she took her surname, was murdered by fascist forces.