The forbidden stories of Marta Veneranda

by Sonia Rivera-Valdés

"The neighborhood is talking. One by one, Marta Veneranda's friends - and strangers - begin to unburden themselves of their most guarded secrets. The whispered confessions weave a tapestry of broken taboos and twisted expectations. The poignant and often hilarious tales expose the inner and outer terrain of relationships, sexuality, and the human condition.". "In "Little Poisons," Marta is at first flattered that her husband takes her into his confidence: "in the fifteen years of marriage he would tell me everything, even about his sexual escapades - if he couldn't share them with me, who would he share them with? Besides, that way no one could come running to me spreading rumors." But before long, her twelve-step liberation from her philandering husband includes poisoning him to death and getting to know his last mistress.". "The tales explore the rough borders between pain and pleasure, repulsion and intoxication. In "The Scent," an uncanny odor blossoms into an aphrodisiac: "That fr