Dahlia de la Cerda - Reservoir Bitches (Scribe, 2025) ***½

Wild, honest, brutal, bloody, cruel, sensitive, fast-paced, funny. "Reservoir Bitches" tells the interconnected stories of thirteen women from their own personal perspective and tone of voice. There is the daughter of the drug lord, her friend, a prostitute, a murder victim, ... They tell their stories like short narratives, presented in the first person, in a very direct style, without any descriptions or context, just like a young woman would recite events if asked to give a testimonial. 

"I became pregnant and gave birth twice. Both times I felt like a sinner because my children were not the fruits of love but of violence and degenerate sex. I baptized them Adam and Eve.

The Old Testament says that the Lord reveals himself to his servants in different ways - for example, as the scent of myrrh or as fire, like he did with Moses and the burning bush. The message was always the same: "Your prayer has been heard". Every night, as I prayed, I begged God to free me from my hushband. "'Our Father in heaven. Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done. Abba father, I know your will is for your daughter to be treated like lillies and caressed with fine linen here on earth. Adonai, take this chalice from me, and let it not be my will but yours". In my prayers, I only ever asked for one thing: to be a widow. God never revealed himself to me, but He did answer my prayers: five years from the day the holy sacrament of marriage was profaned, meaning from the day I was wed, the man I was forced to call my husband came home drowning in alcohol and fell asleep in the living room. As I watched him snore like a beast I prayed even more fervently to God. My prayers were heard. Vomit trickled from his mouth, smelling of liquor. I dropped to the floor with tears in my eyes and prayed he would choke. ''Dear Lord, let the walls of Jericho fall before my eyes, throw off my shackles and drag this man to the gates of Hell. Give me victory over my enemy, knock down the walls of my prison and the fortresses that cast down my heart. Like David before Jehovah, I danced and danced and rejoiced as I watched Efrain's face darken from red to purple. Then, to the sound of trumpets, I confirmed that he was dead. My spirit glorified and praised the seed of Abraham who crushed the head of the serpent. I called an ambulance and after the mandated autopsy, had him cremated. I did this so there would be no body to rise among the dead on Judgment Day." (p.91)

What's not to like about this? It is straight from the heart, and whatever the wealth or education level of her characters, De la Cerda manages to create a unique voice and style for each of her female protagonists. It's a pleasure to read, even if the subject matter is at times very cruel. The stories of the thirteen women are obviously not representative for the overall situation of women in Mexico, yet they are taken from the brutal reality that exists nonetheless.