Bad Habit

Alana S. Portero is a medieval historian, writer, playwright, LGBTQ+ activist and co-founder of the theatre company STRIGA. Her writings on feminism and LGBTQ+ activism from the perspective of a trans woman have been featured in a number of international publications, including Agente Provocador, El Salto, S Moda and Vogue. Bad Habit is her debut novel and spent over 17 weeks on the bestseller list on publication in Spain. She lives in Madrid.

'Had me hooked from the first page … Savour every word' Dua Lipa‘I urge you, read Bad Habit to fully grasp the degree of adversity, pain, and danger endured for virtue of growing-up trans’ Pedro Almodóvar‘A sublime novel … It is one of the most moving novels I have read in recent years’ Édouard Louis, author of Change'The book that everyone is reading … tells the story of a working-class transgender woman full of rage and beauty, pain and poetry' New York Times'Affecting and evocative … incredibly heartening' Observer'A work of deep humility, spilling over with prose rich as double cream’ Guardian‘Portero’s elegant storytelling catches a celestial light, illuminating the body in ways beyond language’ Eloghosa Osunde, author of Vagabonds!'Portero’s prose is so commanding … painful yet unquestionably hopeful' Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies‘An exemplary and fresh example of the trans bildungsroman … Poignant’ Washington Post‘Leaves you stunned … Devastating yet beautiful … Special and unique' Travis Alabanza, author of None of the Above‘Elegant and brutal’ Morgan M Page, author of Boys Don’t Cry‘Affecting and poetic … Keenly observed’ New York Times Book Review‘Incredibly moving, completely absorbing … Unforgettable’ Okechukwu Nzelu, author of Here Again Now‘A beautiful novel … about the journey we take to become who we truly are’ Elena Medel, author of The Wonders‘Vivid, compassionate and compulsive' Rachel Dawson, author of Neon Roses‘A ballad, a quest, a revelation’ Saba Sams, author of Send Nudes‘A story of defiance that makes you proud to be queer’ Amelia Abrahams, author of Queer Intentions‘A singular and raw voice … The most talked-about debut of the year’ Time Out Spain‘Engulfing … Portero had me captivated with her visceral prose’ Avni Doshi, author of Burnt Sugar‘Brutal, tender, and vulnerable … A masterpiece’ Marisa Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself