Over the past few years, there have been many hits by Mexican and South American women with English translation, particularly horror stories and surreal tales. One author who appeals to horror and speculative fiction readers with a dark side is Agustina Bazterrica.

Agustina Bazterrica’s short novels stay with you long after the last sentence. Her books focus on dystopian nightmares with scarce resources, and they are not for the faint of heart. Tender is the Flesh, her first book translated into English, was a worldwide hit. (In my library, it’s perpetually checked out well beyond the due date.) Booker nominee Sarah Moses has translated all of her English language releases thus far.

I recently read The Unworthy, which was published in Spanish (Argentina) in 2023 and English in 2025. Told from the point of view of a woman keeping a secret diary, the book drops readers into a convent in an unknown time and place after a climate disaster wipes out most resources. The women who live there punish each other violently as they try to ascend to the ranks of the Enlightened, who are imbued with extrasensory powers. When a new woman joins the convent, power dynamics begin to blur, and our narrator begins to contemplate whether the convent’s promise of protection is worth believing. 

The Unworthy moves between the narrator’s present circumstances and memories from her previous life. It’s a dread-inducing story, but the plot moves quickly and is engaging to the last page. It’s a very satisfying read that can be completed in a weekend…or a night, if you’re feeling ambitious. (Don’t ask me how I know.) 

Readers of The Handmaid’s Tale who are okay with body horror will find much to enjoy. Book talkers should note that The Unworthy contains violence, gore, and assault.

Other titles to consider are:

• Somebody is Walking on Your Grave, by Mariana Enriquez (2013; Argentina) / translated by Megan McDowell (forthcoming in September 2025): for history buffs and ghost hunters
• Little Eyes, by Samanta Schweblin (2018; Argentina) / translated by Megan McDowell (2020): for fans of Black Mirror who are looking for a book with heart 
• Paradais, by Fernanda Melchor (2021; Mexico) / translated by Sophie Hughes (2022): for literary fiction lovers who are okay with hyperviolence
• Nefando, by Mónica Ojeda (Ecuador; 2016) / translated by Sarah Booker (2023): for science fiction fans who also love Haruki Murakami

---

Rebecca Starr is the Literature & Language Librarian at Portland Public Library in Portland, Maine, USA, where they manage readers’ advisory services and collection development in fiction, graphic novels, world languages, and more. They also serve as Vice Chair for the Maine Library Association’s Legislative Advocacy Committee. They received their MLIS from Kent State University in 2011, and have been working in public libraries since 2013. Rebecca is also a storyteller, knitter, gull enthusiast, and proud member of their library’s union.