Beatriz Serrano – författare

Life can’t go on like this – can it? This book is for everyone who has ever wanted more: more time, more meaning, more connection.A sexy and hilarious Spanish bestseller, where a young woman's office persona threatens to crack when she’s forced to attend her company’s annual retreat.'Tremendously entertaining' Guardian'Hilarious' Daily Mail'A wild ride' Express'An impressive new comic talent' Daily Telegraph'Wry and incisive... very funny' New York TimesOn the surface, Marisa’s life looks enviable. She lives in a nice apartment in the heart of Madrid, her friendly neighbour and lover Pablo lives downstairs, and she’s risen quickly through the ranks at a successful advertising agency.And yet Marisa hates her job and everything about it. Over one hot summer she finds herself in danger of being exposed when she’s forced to deliver a talk on creativity at a horrendous team-building retreat. Surrounded by psychopathic bosses, flirty facilitators, and an excess of drugs, Marisa is pushed to the brink of a complete spiral.Discontent is a bold, biting novel about acting on our wilder impulses to reclaim our lives from work.'Serrano writes with a caustic flair for detail, with charm and utter hilarity. Absolutely brilliant' Danya Kukafka, author of Notes on an Execution‘I adored our heroine... A razor-sharp debut’ Anna Dorn, author of Perfume and Pain'A love song to the listless and lonely of the LinkedIn age' Ariel Courage, author of Bad Nature

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE • From a dazzling new international voice, an audacious, darkly funny novel about a young woman whose carefully crafted office persona threatens to crack when she’s forced to attend her company’s annual retreat "A wry work of spectacular wit. . . . Beatriz Serrano writes with a caustic flare for detail, exploring the small humiliations of the everyday corporate office with charm and utter hilarity. Absolutely brilliant." —Danya Kukafka, author of Notes on an ExecutionOn the surface, Marisa's life looks enviable. She lives in a beautiful apartment in the center of Madrid, she has a hot neighbor who is always around to sleep with her, and she’s quickly risen through the ranks at a successful advertising agency. And yet she’s drowning in a dark hole of existential dread induced by the banality of corporate life. Marisa hates her job and everyone at it. She spends her working hours locked in her office hiding from her coworkers, bingeing YouTube videos, and getting high on tranquilizers. When she has the time, she escapes to her favorite museum where she contemplates the meaning of life while staring at Hieronymus Bosch paintings, or trying to get hit by a car so she can go on disability.But Marisa's dubious success, which is largely built on lies and work she's stolen from other people, is in danger of being exposed when she's forced to go on her company’s team-building retreat. Isolated in the Segovia forests, haunted by the deeply buried memory of a former coworker, and surrounded by psychopathic bosses, overzealous coworkers, flirty retreat staff, and an excess of drugs, Marisa finds herself acting on her wildest impulses and is pushed to the brink of a complete spiral.

Life can’t go on like this – can it?A sexy and hilarious Spanish bestseller, where a young woman's office persona threatens to crack when she’s forced to attend her company’s annual retreat.'Tremendously entertaining' Guardian'A wild ride' Express'An impressive new comic talent' Daily Telegraph'Wry and incisive... very funny' New York TimesOn the surface, Marisa’s life looks enviable. She lives in a nice apartment in the heart of Madrid, her friendly neighbour and lover Pablo lives downstairs, and she’s risen quickly through the ranks at a successful advertising agency.And yet Marisa hates her job and everything about it. Over one hot summer she finds herself in danger of being exposed when she’s forced to deliver a talk on creativity at a horrendous team-building retreat. Surrounded by psychopathic bosses, flirty facilitators, and an excess of drugs, Marisa is pushed to the brink of a complete spiral.Discontent is a bold, biting novel about acting on our wilder impulses to reclaim our lives from work, for everyone who has ever wanted more: more time, more meaning, more connection.'Serrano writes with a caustic flair for detail, with charm and utter hilarity. Absolutely brilliant' Danya Kukafka, author of Notes on an Execution‘I adored our heroine... A razor-sharp debut’ Anna Dorn, author of Perfume and Pain'A love song to the listless and lonely of the LinkedIn age' Ariel Courage, author of Bad Nature

Life can’t go on like this – can it?A sexy and hilarious Spanish bestseller, where a young woman's office persona threatens to crack when she’s forced to attend her company’s annual retreat.'Tremendously entertaining' Guardian'A wild ride' Express'An impressive new comic talent' Daily Telegraph'Wry and incisive... very funny' New York TimesOn the surface, Marisa’s life looks enviable. She lives in a nice apartment in the heart of Madrid, her friendly neighbour and lover Pablo lives downstairs, and she’s risen quickly through the ranks at a successful advertising agency.And yet Marisa hates her job and everything about it. Over one hot summer she finds herself in danger of being exposed when she’s forced to deliver a talk on creativity at a horrendous team-building retreat. Surrounded by psychopathic bosses, flirty facilitators, and an excess of drugs, Marisa is pushed to the brink of a complete spiral.Discontent is a bold, biting novel about acting on our wilder impulses to reclaim our lives from work, for everyone who has ever wanted more: more time, more meaning, more connection.'Serrano writes with a caustic flair for detail, with charm and utter hilarity. Absolutely brilliant' Danya Kukafka, author of Notes on an Execution‘I adored our heroine... A razor-sharp debut’ Anna Dorn, author of Perfume and Pain'A love song to the listless and lonely of the LinkedIn age' Ariel Courage, author of Bad Nature

Brought to you by Penguin.Life can't go on like this - can it?An audacious, darkly funny, perfect summer read about a young woman in Madrid whose office persona threatens to crack when she's forced to attend her company's annual retreatOn the surface, Marisa's life looks enviable. She lives in a nice apartment in the heart of Madrid, her friendly neighbour and lover Pablo lives downstairs, and she's risen quickly through the ranks at a successful advertising agency.And yet Marisa hates her job and everything about it. Over one hot summer she finds herself in danger of being exposed when she's forced to deliver a talk on creativity at a horrendous team-building retreat. Surrounded by psychopathic bosses, flirty facilitators, and an excess of drugs, Marisa is pushed to the brink of a complete spiral.Discontent is a bold, biting novel about acting on our wilder impulses to reclaim our lives from work.This book is for everyone who has ever wanted more: more time, more meaning, more connection.'Serrano writes with a caustic flair for detail, with charm and utter hilarity. Absolutely brilliant' Danya Kukafka, author of Notes on an Execution'I adored our heroine ... A razor-sharp debut' Anna Dorn, author of Perfume and Pain'Intelligent, engaging ... totally hilarious' Aysegul Savas, author of The Anthropologists(c) Beatriz Serrano 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025