Fear
Fear It is the third part of the youth trilogy Mentira, written by the Spanish author and literary critic Care Santos. The work was published in 2019 by the Edebé publishing house, a label that also published the two previous titles: best sellers Mentira and its continuation, Truth. Although his name appears to present a horror story, this is nothing more than an excuse to talk about something fundamental: the fear of life.
It is not about the primal fear of elements such as darkness or supernatural beings, but rather the fear of the dangers of a society increasingly corrupted by selfishness and greed. In those spaces, The innocent are judged without more evidence than an argument, and the abused must fight for their place in the world with everything against them.
Brief context about previous works
Mentira
The plot of Mentira focuses on Xenia's story, a 16 year old girl who is pressured by her parents to get the best grades at school. The girl must comply to the letter with several restrictions, such as dressing modestly, doing her homework in the kitchen so that her parents can know how she uses the Internet, handing over her cell phone before ten o'clock. the night, among others. On the other hand, Xenia loves to read.
Your favorite book is The catcher in the rye, but he doesn't know many people with whom he can share his passion. However, one day meet a boy through the Web. This is also bookish, and, very soon, both establish a friendship that turns into romance. But not everything is hunky dory, because Xenia's soul mate turns out to be Eric, a teenager who is confined in a juvenile reformatory.
Truth
To reveal the whole truth about his life, Eric sends Xenia a diary that makes her understand the situation.. Four years after being imprisoned, now as a young adult, Eric is acquitted of all charges. However, trying to lead a normal life after his time in Juvenile Correctional Facility is not an easy task.
In this context, Eric is tempted to commit crime because of a society that will always see him as an undesirable. Even so, thanks to the support of Xenia and her family, the young man manages to rediscover a more positive side of himself and the environment that surrounds him. On the other hand, there are battles that he must face alone, and he doesn't know if love is a force powerful enough to save him from his demons.
Synopsis of Fear
More than a declaration of love
Fear portrays the love relationship between Eric and Xenia, the way they have grown together and separately, the protagonist's new bonds and how he has been forced to witness some of the darkest acts of a time.
After having gone through a series of difficulties, un More mature Eric is about to enter college. Meanwhile, he works as a reader for Hugo, a boy who has been blinded due to a motorcycle accident.
The novel has a first-person narration. On this occasion, Xenia's voice takes a backseat to give greater prominence to both Eric and Hugo. The latter is in a deplorable emotional state due to the accident. He has not only lost his sight, but also the will to live. In addition to becoming his assistant and his friend, Eric wants to fulfill a lifeguard role, opening a more positive path for his ward.
A change of perspective
The closing of this trilogy takes a turn towards an unexpected space. So, Fear becomes a story about friendship and support, values that can rescue a suicide from the abyss. Instead of focusing the novel on the romantic relationship of Eric and Xenia, Care Santos creates Hugo, a vulnerable character who, in his need, will make the other participants in the work grow.
It is through this boy that the best approaches to fear are revealed: the fear of losing life, the terror of living it while being incomplete, the nervousness of not being good enough, the horror of having to learn everything from the beginning, and, furthermore, in a very new way. On the whole, The author talks about the lack of independence, drugs and the entities that distribute them, of suicide and the strength it takes to stay.
About the author, Care Santos Torres
Dear Santos
Care Santos Torres was born in 1970, in Mataró, Barcelona, Spain. The author He studied Law and Hispanic Philology at the University of the same name.. Later, he began a journalistic career at the Diario de Barcelona, work that he would expand on in other media outlets, such as El Mundo or ABC.
Her work as a writer began in 1995, after publishing a series of short stories juveniles. Thanks to her hard efforts, has received several awards over the years. Some of them have been: IV Ateneo Joven de Sevilla Novel Prize, LXXIII Nadal Prize, Ciudad de Alcalá Narrative Prize, Ana María Matute Prize, and other awards.
Likewise, Closed rooms, one of his novels, was adapted to the small screen in series format by TVE in 2014. The author also founded the Association of Young Spanish Writers, and is an honorary member of Nocte, the Spanish Association of Writers of Terror.
Other books by Care Santos
Novela
- The loser's tango (1997);
- Wheatfield with crows (1999);
- Learn to flee (2002);
- The owner of shadows (2006);
- Bovary syndrome (2007);
- The death of Venus (2007);
- Towards the light (2008);
- The best place in the world is right here (2008);
- Closed rooms (2011);
- There is no full moon tonight (2012);
- The air you breathe (2013);
- Chocolate craving (2014);
- Half life (2017);
- All the good and all the bad (2018);
- I will follow your steps (2020);
stories
- Citrus stories (1995);
- Outdoor (1996);
- Certain testimonies (1999);
- Solos (2000);
- Kill the father (2004);
- Those who roar (2009);
Children's narrative
- I want to be older (2005);
- Mom for sale (2009);
- How we became friends (2003);
- Be yourself (2003);
- Being happy is easy (2004);
- Forbidden to fall in love (2004);
- tell me the truth (2004);
- Count to ten! (2005);
Youth narrative
- The death of Kurt Cobain (1997);
- squat (1997);
- I will tell you who you are (1999);
- The path of the hurricane (2000);
- Hot dogs (2000);
- Krysis (2002);
- Laluna.com (2003);
- Operation Virgo (2003);
- the eyes of the wolf (2004);
- The Monte Carlo circuit (2005);
- The owner of shadows (2006);
- A camí dins la boira (2007);
- Irina's ring (2005);
- ask me for the moon (2007);
- Two Moons (2008);
- Bel. Love beyond death (2009);
- Crypto (2010);
- Mentira (2015);
- Truth (2017);
- Fear (2019);
- Ben (2021);
Poetry
- Hyperesthesia (1999);
- Dissection (2007)