Colombian author Pilar Quintana reconnects with childhood and wins Alfaguara

'Once I was a mother, I could understand things from my mom that I didn’t understand, and I think this novel is that, ' says Quintana. Photo: AP

It took Pilar Quintana four years and a few drafts to write The Abysses (Los Abismos) winner of the 2021 Alfaguara Novel Prize.

Quitana’s worries regarding maternity, and her “irrational” childhood terror of becoming an orphan, inspired the Colombian author to write this story about a young girl who reflects on her parents’ troubled marriage with extraordinary perception and sensitivity.