THAT'S ALL I KNOW

A young woman recounts the strange story of her life at the edge of a forest.

What does it mean for the world to end? Spanish author Levi’s novel takes up that question both literally and figuratively. Largely structured as 19-year-old narrator Little Lea’s tale of her life, which she's recounting to a man in search of his lost dog, this novel reckons with the appeal and dangers of home. “I don’t know how it is where you’re from, sir, but when you escape from here, you don’t return,” Little Lea explains to her partner in conversation. She's talking about the remote town in which she grew up, as well as the dangers that lurk in the surrounding forest. This idea of abandonment as deeply final echoes the apocalyptic imagery that runs throughout the book and the outright belief among some characters that the world is about to end. In some ways, Levi’s novel is a familiar coming-of-age tale, navigating Little Lea’s troubled relationship with her family, marijuana-fueled contemplation, and infatuation with Javier, an old friend. Eventually, Little Lea reveals that her older sister Nora’s disabilities have upset a balance within the family: “With Nora and her damaged brain, my mother learned that life can be cruel and that prevented her happiness from developing.” In MacSweeney’s translation, Little Lea’s voice—at once casual and haunted—emerges as a compelling element, both casual and occasionally jarring, as when Little Lea’s struggles with her sister culminate in an image both visually stunning and deeply transgressive. Much like the forest that surrounds the setting here, this is a novel capable of lethal shocks and bold transfigurations.

An unconventional and memorable coming-of-age story.