Minciuna

Xenia studies to enter medical school and meet her parents’ high hopes. When the strain grows, she turns to books. Reading J.D. Salinger leads her to an online readers’ forum. There she meets a boy her own age. They exchange messages each week but have never met. She knows little about his name or his school. Even so, she falls in love.

Against his wishes, Xenia tries to meet him in person. Her search casts doubt on what he has told her. A notebook then reveals his story and an account of a murder. Minciuna by Care Santos blends young adult romance with a mystery about trust and hidden truths.

Santos aims to move young readers rather than teach them lessons. She hopes her stories prompt thought, as her own teenage reading did. Born in Mataró near Barcelona in 1970, she began writing at eight. She won her first writing contest at fourteen. She studied law, then philology, and worked as a journalist and literary critic. Her work spans novels, short stories, poetry, and books for children and teens. She also founded an association for young Spanish writers and led it for eight years.

Camelia Dinica translated this edition, which belongs to the Humanitas Junior series.