Maic

The story of a boy who is not allowed to be a child, and his daily struggle to chase away his fears and loneliness.

Maic is a boy who has to grow up before his time: while he has to take care of his brother, his mother spends the day away from home trying to find the perfect father. Thus, he has a non-father who is only conspicuous by his absence, and a grandmother who went to live far away and now only calls him on his birthday. All this makes Maic develop whirlpools in his belly button, so unbearable that he thinks he will break in half. His distraction is his neighbors on the stairs: Mrs. Pillows, for example, who gives soft and warm hugs, or Mr. and Mrs. Stories, who are the only ones who listen to him.

Maic, the first novel by Tina Vallès, is the story of one of many children who, as soon as they are more than two palms tall, have to start carrying responsibilities that are too big. A subtle and restrained story, written with the usual sensitivity and masterful hand of the author of The Memory of the Tree.

«With maximum ambition, Vallès manages to profoundly express the intimate nature of the silences of everyday life.» (Ponç Puigdevall, El País).