La literatura como experiencia encarnada: duelo, enfermedad y deseo en Lo que hay (2022) de Sara Torres

Abstract

In the novel Lo que hay (2022), the Spanish writer Sara Torres explores the experience of a double loss: the loss of a lover, and the loss of the mother due to breast cancer. With the theme of absence as a common thread, this autofiction addresses other issues such as the discourses and hegemonic culture surrounding breast cancer, the experience of (lesbian) sexuality and desire in a state of mourning, the ethics of care, as well as the potential and limitations of literature to elaborate and communicate these experiences. This article analyses the three main themes that underpin the novel: breast cancer, mourning, and desire, arguing that it opens up representational paths for imagining illness and loss from a queer and feminist ethic.