BOOKS
Book of the Month
FICTION THE ADVENTURES OF CHINA IRON Gabriela Cabezón Cámara Translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre
It is rare to find a South American LGBTQI novel translated into English, but The Adventures Of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara would be a gem regardless. A rebellious retelling of Argentina’s gaucho epic Martín Fierro, Cabezón Cámara imagines what happens to his wife, China, after his departure — and heavily queers the outcome. China’s naivety as she hitches a ride in a covered wagon with Scottish settler Elizabeth means it first appears that Cabezón Cámara praises the British Empire’s colonialism; however, she slowly, and firmly, undermines it. Translators Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre do well throughout to ground the novel in The Pampas and its shifting territories. An unexpected ride that delightfully delivers on all accounts. Charco Press, £9.99