Maria Francisca Gama: "In 'A Filha da Louca' there is a feeling of apnea"

M aria Francisca Gama is one of the greatest promising artists in Portuguese literature. She wrote her first book at the age of 15, but became known primarily for "A Cicatriz," a powerful story released in 2024.

However, this year, he returned with a new novel entitled 'A Filha da Louca', which addresses such current issues as mental health - more specifically, borderline personality disorder, the relationship between parents and children and even grief.

In conversation with Notícias ao Minuto , the writer told us that this is a plot aimed at a more mature audience, which leaves readers in a state of "apnea", something that did not happen in 'A Cicatriz', which focused on a traumatic event.

What have the reactions been like to this new book?

So far, the feedback I've received has been very positive. Of course, I wanted people to enjoy it, but I wasn't sure what to expect. It's a very different book from 'The Scar.' Given how close that book was, which came out in February of last year, and how widely read it was, the comparison is inevitable, and in that sense, I didn't know what to expect. I'm pleasantly surprised.

In 'The Madwoman's Daughter', at least from what I've been told, there's a sense of apnea throughout the book and there's no dramatic moment, as there was in 'The Scar'.

Were you afraid of that comparison?

Fear not... Books and art are usually evaluated subjectively by those reading, listening to, or whatever. But it's normal that when we're reading something, we compare it. I know that 'The Scar' and 'The Madwoman's Daughter' are very different books. I believe that 'The Madwoman's Daughter' might appeal to an older audience than 'The Scar'.

It's normal that as I grow older and read more and more, what I write also becomes more adult-oriented, and so my only concern was whether this younger audience would understand and enjoy the book, or whether they would feel their expectations would be disappointed, because it's not a book that focuses heavily on a traumatic event. Here, in 'The Madwoman's Daughter,' at least from what I've been told, there's a sense of apnea throughout the book, and there's no dramatic moment, as there was in 'The Scar.'

What led you to write the story of Matilde, the main character, in this new book?

It came about because I came across a news story in 2023 about a case in which a child lost her life and the mother was convicted of failure to provide assistance. At the time, when I saw the news, I was deeply disturbed, because it seemed unnatural to me, a mother who wouldn't do everything in her power to protect her daughter. I automatically—and it ends up being a defense—think that the mother must have had some kind of problem, that she couldn't be a mother in her right mind, because a mother brings children into the world to care for and protect them.

Then I started writing about this idea of a mother not being what she's supposed to be, but I still didn't know where the story would go. I started writing, as I always do, about this mother-daughter relationship that's so different from the one I have with my own mother, who is very close to me and is my best friend.

Then, after some time, I came across another news story, a journalistic report on borderline personality disorder, and I found what the interviewee was saying very courageous, the way she described the whirlwind of feelings she had to live with daily, a very personal sensation of feeling the pain a million times more. I thought that disorder could be the central part of the story here, from Matilde's perspective.

One of the things these patients say most is that their whole lives, until they were diagnosed, they thought that they - themselves - and others, were bad people. The topic of mental health proved to be important for Maria here.

This is one of the things I wanted to address in the book, because mental health is increasingly discussed these days, but we still have a long way to go in discussing the illness. Many people are undiagnosed, and borderline personality disorder, in particular, is often confused with personality. One of the things these patients say most often is that their entire lives, until they were diagnosed, they thought they—and others—were bad people. I think it's interesting to bring this to fiction.

In one of the presentations, a reader told me that a sentence from the book was important in making peace with her mother: my mother, if she could, wouldn't be like this. How did you build the character of Matilde's mother, who has this disorder?

I wish people could empathize with her. When I'm writing a book, I like to create people; I like them to transcend the barrier of being fictional characters. While I'd like readers to give me the benefit of believing I have creative ability, on the other hand, it's somehow flattering that people think my books are about me and that the characters are real people. This is a sign that the characters are well-crafted, because they closely resemble us and our lives. Not being perfect, not being entirely good or bad, saying one thing and doing another… That's very human.

This Clara [Matilde's mother] isn't bad and doesn't want bad things for her daughter, and that's interesting to see: how something that is so positive, which is a mother's love, can be suffocating. I wish people could empathize with her.

Many of the testimonies I've received are from children who have found their father or mother in history. At one of the presentations, a reader told me that a line from the book was important in making peace with her mother: "My mother, if she could, wouldn't be like this." That's where literature wins, when we're reading a book and find something that we take home with us.

My grief, what I experienced at the time and what I continue to experience 10 years later, is very different from what Matilde experiences . Matilde also loses her father. Here we end up seeing a bit of Maria herself, since she also lost her father as a teenager?

Naturally, my experiences always remain somewhat in my books. This mourning, however, is profoundly different from mine, not least because of the relationship the character had with her father and the relationship I had—and still have—with my own father.

My father and I were very close. In fact, he was the driving force behind my dream of becoming a writer since I was little. He believed, even if a little too much, that I would be a writer. He was very proud of me and my sister. He was a very doting father.

In this sense, my grief, what I experienced at the time and what I continue to experience 10 years later, is very different from what Matilde experiences. Then, in adulthood, a question looms over her, which must also be very difficult: our parents usually tell us that we are the most important people in their lives, and here, throughout the story, it seems that the father adores his daughter, but loves his wife more, because he prefers her to be happy, knowing that this could harm her. This is also different from my experiences.

For those who don't know Maria yet, how did writing come into your life?

I'm a lawyer, but I haven't practiced for three years. I've always loved reading because my parents gave me so many books. I used to go to the library in Leiria, where I grew up, and at story time, I became a great reader from a young age.

In my pre-teens, when people read blogs, I created a blog where I wrote almost every day—it was a kind of diary, I wrote a lot of letters. At 15, I wrote my first book, and at 17, my second, both for children and young adults.

When I studied Law, my idea was to combine the two, but in the meantime I decided to take a risk on writing and the communications field, which seem more compatible to me.

The course is there, and the bar association is there too. I have a suspended license, but I wish I didn't go back to being a lawyer. Was the law practice a plan B? Did it fall by the wayside?

Right now I really enjoy writing, and in that sense, as long as possible, because it's a somewhat more unstable life, I'd like to stay away from law. But the course is there, and the bar association is there, too. I have my license suspended, but I'd rather not go back to being a lawyer [laughs].

What surprised you most when you became a writer?

In my career, in particular, the reception I receive from readers. I never imagined, not even in my wildest dreams, that so many people would read my work, and that's truly surprising. Although it's a profession in which I spend much of my time alone, I spend a lot of time talking to readers in libraries, book fairs, and festivals, and that's very different from the image I had of what a writer was. I thought I always stayed at home, almost like a cave, and today that's very different, because readers demand it that way.

Then there are the negative reviews. How do you deal with them?

Well, because first I would worry about everyone liking it. I'm prepared for there to be people who like it and others who don't.

Regarding 'The Scar', I read many opinions that I could have done some things differently, that the ending could have been different, a set of things that are normal... Most writers, when they step away from their work, would like to have the ability to go and change things without anyone seeing.

Then there's a set of criticisms that aren't fruitful, that won't add to my work, and I protect myself, because at the end of the day, the important thing is that the publisher and I think it's something to share with others, and then from there, the work takes its course.

Now that you've released this book, are you already thinking about your next story or are you just enjoying this moment?

It's very difficult to rest, and fortunately, I have a lot of ideas, which is great because many of them end up never coming to fruition. Right now, I'm not writing; I'm promoting the book, and I'm trying to rest because I'm close to having a daughter.

Now that you're going to be a mother, do you think the world of reading and literature is well-delivered to future generations?

Yes, there are more and more readers. I believe publishers are investing in new Portuguese authors.

The books don't compete with each other. People can read my three books and then go on to read the three books by any other author, even a Portuguese author of my generation. Don't you feel like it's a bit of a thankless struggle? This competition with foreign authors?

No, I have a hard time believing that. There's no book that prevents someone from reading someone else's. Books aren't in competition with each other. People can read my three books and then go on to read the three books of any other writer, even a Portuguese one of my generation. Books have this ability to imprint individuality. In that sense, I'm very happy when I see someone reading, firstly because I believe that a country that reads is a more advanced country and has the ambition to be something, and secondly because someone who reads is one step closer to reading one of my books.

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