Meike's Reviews > Witches

Lozano's novel is based on the destiny of real-life Mazatec (an indigenous people of Mexico) shaman María Sabina who performed healing ceremonies using magic mushrooms and was consulted by the likes of Keith Richards, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan. Her fictional version Feliciana has to mourn the death of her teacher Paloma, and her storyline is interspersed by a second narrative arc that depicts the life of journalist Zoe who is assigned to report on Paloma's murder.

Lozano tells the life stories of both women and the gender-based violence and prejudice they encounter, but the most intriguing character clearly is Paloma, a muxe (third gender) healer who turns away from her occupation and trains Feliciana instead. Throughout, the text plays with ideas of stigmatization and intuition, the power of women and how non-male individuals are violated. The language has a very particular sound which is apparently reminiscent of traditional Mexican storytelling (unfortunately, I'm unfamiliar with Mexican narrative traditions).

What bothered me was the extensive narration about Zoe, the journalist who shares a similar familial constellation with Feliciana, which did not captivate me at all: I wanted to hear more about Paloma and her life as muxe, about her healing traditions and destiny. Feliciana's part was fine, but there was too much detail regarding minor characters that distracted me from her interior worlds. Still, the topic was certainly highly interesting and I'd love to read more about it.