Sánchez

by Esther García Llovet

A nocturnal drift through the margins of Madrid—where lost souls cross paths with the surreal, and the city itself becomes a character.

In this stark, luminous novel, Esther García Llovet returns to the shadows of the Spanish capital to trace the uneasy reunion of Nikki and Sánchez, two former lovers bound by shared history and mutual failure. She has returned from the borderlands of Gibraltar, where she dealt contraband. He, a man seemingly pursued by bad luck, accepts her offer out of desperation: help deliver a greyhound named Cromwell to a woman deep in the racing underworld.

What follows is a long night’s descent through a Madrid untouched by tourism or nostalgia—a landscape of bingo halls, half-lit highways, silent gas stations, and after-hours bars that seem suspended in time. Here, even the fantastical feels plausible: a performance artist devours raw deer meat in the forest, while unspoken debts and spectral memories surface with the clarity only darkness allows.

With clipped, exacting prose and dialogue that cuts like broken glass, García Llovet sketches a world that is both brutal and strangely tender—a Madrid of the mind, where the borders between absurdity, danger, and beauty dissolve.

128 pages, Paperback

Published January 20, 2026

About the author

Esther García Llovet nació en Málaga en 1963. Realizó estudios de Dirección de Cine y es licenciada en Psicología Clínica. Vive en Madrid desde el año 70. Es guionista de cine documental.

Reviews

[Rachel Louise Atkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this little book about Nikki and Sanchez who are a duo that get up into mischief on the streets of Madrid. It is dark and dangerous but also humorous and playful. The sharp and witty writing propels the story forward so I finished it really quickly and felt like I’d had a great tour de force with the two characters. Would really recommend for a short but punchy read.

[Disha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed this more if I had lived in Madrid

[Mr Roland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining easy to read ramble through Madrid. It felt like an authentic glimpse into the chaotic difficult lives of people who have somehow fallen off the normal path. Reminded me a little of relatives who have struggled to conform and drifted into crazy schemes.

[Katerina🤍 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when I find new authors to follow and adore. The writing is conversational and exudes realism.

[Nikhil Mehta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it in parts. The writing is good! I read the translated version. Maybe its more enjoyable in the Spanish.