In Praise of the Stepmother

In Praise of the Stepmother is the story of Don Rigoberto, his second wife, Lucrecia, and his son, Alfonso. Their family life together seems to be a happy one. Rigoberto, an insurance company manager, spends his time preening himself for his wife and collecting erotic art. But while Lucrecia is devoted to him, she has her own needs, and soon finds herself the object of young Alfonso’s attention.

With meticulous observation and seductive skill, Mario Vargas Llosa explores the mysterious nature of happiness. Little by little, the harmony of his characters is darkened by the shadow of perversion.

If you enjoyed In Praise of the Stepmother, you might also like Mario Vargas Llosa’s The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto.

Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru, 1936) is one of the most important South American writers of our time. His novels are known for their political and violent atmosphere and their attention to the moral decay of society. Through newspapers, Vargas Llosa regularly participates in the social debate. In 1990, he was a candidate for the presidency of Peru. Vargas Llosa was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010.