Mulleres que viven xuntas, Xerais Novel Prize 2025, is an intimate story about love, memory, and the weight of silence in Spain during the second half of the 20th century.
In 1955, after her father's death, Isabel is forced to leave Galicia and move to London at just ten years old, taken in by some relatives. Years later, in 1968, she returns to her village near Santiago de Compostela. There she meets Chus, a teacher who had cared for her mother during her absence. A loving relationship develops between them that will last a lifetime.
However, the social context of the Franco dictatorship and fear of gossip force them to keep their relationship secret. This imposed silence deeply marks their story and decisions, leaving traces that span decades.
With a sober style and carefully crafted characters, the novel alternates different times and narrative voices to accompany the emotional growth of its protagonists. Mulleres que viven xuntas invites reflection on the difficulties that sexual orientation has posed for many people and on how love tries to find its way even in contexts of repression.
A moving novel that weaves the bright threads of love and passion with the shadows of frustration and the silences of an era.
