Power, violence and dark humor

Although the title of the collection Reservoir Dogs is an explicit reference to Quentin Tarantino's first feature film, Reservoir Dogs (1992), the intricate structure of the stories by Mexican author Dahlia de la Cerda is more similar to that of Pulp Fiction (1994), the American filmmaker's next film.

But the fact is that Dahlia, although proposing this dialogue with the Tarantino of the 1990s, has a style very unique and deeply in tune with the present. Her writing is marked by humor, violence, and the absurd presence of the zeitgeist.

The 13 short stories in this recently released volume feature female protagonists. Through them, the author seeks to explore the state of affairs for women in the contemporary world, marked by beauty ideals, social media, empowerment, and femicide.

Characters who are protagonists in one story become supporting characters in others, giving the collection a formal unity that places all these women face the problems that afflict them together. With sharp and cutting language, Dahlia constructs narratives that disturb and make you think.

The character Constanza, for example, was raised to be in power, but realizes that current politics demands role models "less Angela Merkel, more Michelle Obama." Therefore, she learns to wield a kind of feminine soft power, alongside the men who still hold power.

La China, on the other hand, came from the bottom and later became the personal bodyguard—and best friend, as she describes herself—of the daughter of a drug lord. But once a professional killer, always a professional killer.

Reservoir Dogs. Dahlia de la Cerda. Translated by Marina Waquil. DBA (176 pages, R$72.90)

It is women like these who populate the pages of this book, nominated for the British International Booker Prize last March.

Dahlia de la Cerda is interested in the lives that intersect and touch, in a kind of sisterhood necessary in a society marked by bloodshed at the hands of men.

The so-called narcoculture plays a central role in this collection. It's a world dominated by violent men, in which women are seen as accessories or victims.

The author, who chooses first-person narrative, gives them voice and protagonism while producing excellent quality literature. •

Published in issue no. 1371 of CartaCapital , on July 23, 2025.

This text appears in the print edition of CartaCapital under the title 'Power, violence and acid humor'