Panza de Burro
translated as Dogs of Summer
‍
‍Andrea Abreu

Imagine dusty, powdery pinks filling the evening sky just before sunset. The intense August heat is finally easing, your nails caked with dirt from playing outside, your body sticky with sweat. You know it’s time to head home before dark, to say goodbye to your friends for the night. That’s the feeling this book left me with.

Maybe it resonated deeply because I saw so much of myself in the summer of these two girls—a time when what you wanted to do was limited to the imaginary games you invented, and those games, in turn, carried traces of the life you were born into. I read it in its original language, so I can't speak for the translation, but I believe this is one of those books where no translation could fully capture its essence. Andrea’s writing is raw and wildly intelligent, and I can see how some might find it too much—maybe even off-putting. But that’s exactly why I loved it and wished it would never end. As unfiltered as these two girls' experience is, there’s also a tenderness and innocence that make me want to keep this book close.