Luisa Máñez, author of 'Escicha', constructs a narrative universe where beauty and rawness coexist without hierarchy. The novel, published by Talentura, presents fatality not as an accident, but as an inheritance, an invisible scar that is transmitted. The author, from Valencia and residing in Almassora, places the rural environment on an almost mythical plane, where nature offers no solace and characters are pushed to the limits of what is human.
“"Death is just another companion to whom a place had to be given."
The inspiration for 'Escicha' arose from a daily scene in a village in the Sierra del Segura, where death is treated naturally. Máñez observed how some neighbors laughed spontaneously after the death of a villager, accepting death as a part of life. This led her to reflect on how current society deprives death of its rightful place, and the need to return to roots to reintegrate it.
The novel's title comes from an oral deformation of the word «desdicha» (misfortune), which the author chose for its great emotional charge. Máñez sought to explore the misery of the human species, that which is inherited and transmitted, beyond social classes. Her background in Environmental Health influences her view of nature, which in the novel is not a mere backdrop, but a living and moral presence that conditions the characters' destiny.
“"The poetics of the sordid fascinates me and is necessary in this novel, because it offers a hand to the reader."
The structure of 'Escicha' in three parts – looking, keeping silent, and falling – took shape as the characters gained autonomy. The author allowed them to precipitate their own destinies, merely narrating it with her literary style. Critics have defined her style as «guts, howl, and poetry», a balance that Máñez achieves by appealing to the reader's sensibility through tremendism and lyricism.
