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Dolores
On a hot day in late June, a young girl kneels outside a convent, then falls on her face. When the nuns take her in, they name her Dolores.
Dolores adjusts to the rhythm of her new life - to the nuns with wild hairs curling from their chins, the soup chewed as if it were meat, the bells that ring throughout the day.
But in the dark, private theatre of her mind are memories - of love motels lit by neon red hearts, discos in abandoned hospitals and a boy called Angelo.
And inside her, a baby is growing.
Dolores adjusts to the rhythm of her new life - to the nuns with wild hairs curling from their chins, the soup chewed as if it were meat, the bells that ring throughout the day.
But in the dark, private theatre of her mind are memories - of love motels lit by neon red hearts, discos in abandoned hospitals and a boy called Angelo.
And inside her, a baby is growing.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
12 people are currently reading
958 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Aimee Curtis
9 books15 followersLauren Aimee Curtis lives in Sydney. Her writing has appeared in Fireflies, The Lifted Brow, Catapult, The Atlas Review, Sydney Review of Books and elsewhere. In 2017, she was shortlisted for the Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
August 28, 2021
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I guess that I’m but a fickle creature: I saw and fell for the cover of this novella (the neon colours, the pose of the model, the simple font...I was a goner).
Sadly the actual contents of Dolores have little in common with its fantastic cover design.
Written in a prose that manages to be both sickly and apathetic, this novella isn't all that concerned on mapping out Dolores' psyche and turmoils (yes, its title is rather misleading), rather it devotes itself to create a gallery of intentionally repulsive bodies.
Curtis' writing style had this sticky quality that can at times have an almost nauseating effect on the reader. Rather than using this aspect of her prose to create atmosphere or render the novella's setting (which actually takes place in part in an unmade country, and later on in what should be Spain...but could be any place in particular) it often goes to emphasise our discomfort towards the various characters populating this story.
These characters are often introduced to us in terms of their physical flaws: we have Dolores who is possibly 'big' or 'voluptuous' (other characters praise or ridicule her for her 'largeness' but we never get a description of her actual body), the nuns have all crooked teeth or misshapen jaws/faces. They are made to be repulsive, to inspire a sense of abjection in us. These characters' are defined by their 'repugnant' bodies, they do not seem to possess actual personalities or a sense of self, but rather they are little more empty shells made to disgust us.
This obsession with 'the body' and its functions was tedious. Curtis seemed to go out of her way to stress the ugliness of her characters. The nuns shower once a week, and apparently that makes them filthy. Given that they do little work outside, and they are covered head to toes, isn't an exaggeration to make it seem as if washing once a week would have them in such a state?
There were many instances when Curtis' descriptions seemed gratuitous , especially since the narrative seemed to gleefully revel in detailing the inadequacies of the human body. And to dedicated a whole novel to the fallacies of our bodies is a bit much.
Dolores doesn't have a voice. She does some things, but we never know what impels her to do what she does. What did she actually think of those Love Hotels? Was she having sex because she enjoyed it or did she feel pressured to became sexually active? What did she think of her pregnancy? I have no idea!
That this novella doesn't bother to develop its central character is somewhat frustrating. Dolores seemed reduced to her 'large' body, as if that vague description equated a personality.
The majority of male characters want to use, and possibly abuse, Dolores...and sadly I have no idea of the way in which that affected her. Did she even realise that she was being manipulated? Or was she the one exercising some form of control over them during their encounters? This detachedness is never clearly explored, rather we are made to be content with a character who is as responsive as a rag doll.
Additionally, he novella fails to explore the possibility of there being a language/cultural divide between Dolores and the nuns. The setting of the story is completely murky, so much so that throughout the narrative there was no sense of place or time.
There is no heart in this story nor in its characters. The narrative is so concerned with making its characters as repelling as possible that it completely forgets to endow them with even a speck of personality.
I guess that I’m but a fickle creature: I saw and fell for the cover of this novella (the neon colours, the pose of the model, the simple font...I was a goner).
Sadly the actual contents of Dolores have little in common with its fantastic cover design.
Written in a prose that manages to be both sickly and apathetic, this novella isn't all that concerned on mapping out Dolores' psyche and turmoils (yes, its title is rather misleading), rather it devotes itself to create a gallery of intentionally repulsive bodies.
Curtis' writing style had this sticky quality that can at times have an almost nauseating effect on the reader. Rather than using this aspect of her prose to create atmosphere or render the novella's setting (which actually takes place in part in an unmade country, and later on in what should be Spain...but could be any place in particular) it often goes to emphasise our discomfort towards the various characters populating this story.
These characters are often introduced to us in terms of their physical flaws: we have Dolores who is possibly 'big' or 'voluptuous' (other characters praise or ridicule her for her 'largeness' but we never get a description of her actual body), the nuns have all crooked teeth or misshapen jaws/faces. They are made to be repulsive, to inspire a sense of abjection in us. These characters' are defined by their 'repugnant' bodies, they do not seem to possess actual personalities or a sense of self, but rather they are little more empty shells made to disgust us.
This obsession with 'the body' and its functions was tedious. Curtis seemed to go out of her way to stress the ugliness of her characters. The nuns shower once a week, and apparently that makes them filthy. Given that they do little work outside, and they are covered head to toes, isn't an exaggeration to make it seem as if washing once a week would have them in such a state?
There were many instances when Curtis' descriptions seemed gratuitous , especially since the narrative seemed to gleefully revel in detailing the inadequacies of the human body. And to dedicated a whole novel to the fallacies of our bodies is a bit much.
Dolores doesn't have a voice. She does some things, but we never know what impels her to do what she does. What did she actually think of those Love Hotels? Was she having sex because she enjoyed it or did she feel pressured to became sexually active? What did she think of her pregnancy? I have no idea!
That this novella doesn't bother to develop its central character is somewhat frustrating. Dolores seemed reduced to her 'large' body, as if that vague description equated a personality.
The majority of male characters want to use, and possibly abuse, Dolores...and sadly I have no idea of the way in which that affected her. Did she even realise that she was being manipulated? Or was she the one exercising some form of control over them during their encounters? This detachedness is never clearly explored, rather we are made to be content with a character who is as responsive as a rag doll.
Additionally, he novella fails to explore the possibility of there being a language/cultural divide between Dolores and the nuns. The setting of the story is completely murky, so much so that throughout the narrative there was no sense of place or time.
There is no heart in this story nor in its characters. The narrative is so concerned with making its characters as repelling as possible that it completely forgets to endow them with even a speck of personality.
September 14, 2019
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers/author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Teenage Dolores shows up on the convent's steps, in desperate need of a safe place to hide from the world. She finds a strange comfort in the silent presence of the nuns, and begins to strange road to become a novice, all while hiding the secret life growing inside her belly.
This is a short work of fiction focusing on the strange, rather sad life of a teenage girl who seems to neither know herself or where she wants to go in life. A road of bad decisions, and trust in the wrong boy has led Dolores to the convent, in a country far away from her own family, and she has to deal with her past, her present and her shaky future all by herself with no real support.
I liked the writing in this a lot, and I would definitely be interested in picking up more short fiction from Lauren Aimee Curtis. I really liked the fact that we were only given a glimpse of Dolores - we never found out her true name or where she was from. We know she was used by boys in a way that definitely makes the reader uncomfortable but also in a way that doesn't come across as against Dolores' wishes. Just in a way that makes you sad for the more innocent and loved girl Dolores should have been. She didn't seem to be from a 'bad' family - she appeared to be loved. But things just didn't work out and she obviously felt the need to run away with a baby in her belly, rather than stay and receive some kind of support from her parents.
I loved Dolores's descriptions of the nuns and the convent - none of which are glowing. The picture painted of the old, silent, and mostly ugly nuns is done really well and I definitely felt the atmosphere and saw the picture being painted by Dolores. Yet, there is an odd fondness in how she describes them as well as despite everything, they have taken her in as a potential new member of the flock.
This short book is definitely worth a read for people who like literary fiction, and a fascinating insight into a confused young girl's mind. Really enjoyed it.
Teenage Dolores shows up on the convent's steps, in desperate need of a safe place to hide from the world. She finds a strange comfort in the silent presence of the nuns, and begins to strange road to become a novice, all while hiding the secret life growing inside her belly.
This is a short work of fiction focusing on the strange, rather sad life of a teenage girl who seems to neither know herself or where she wants to go in life. A road of bad decisions, and trust in the wrong boy has led Dolores to the convent, in a country far away from her own family, and she has to deal with her past, her present and her shaky future all by herself with no real support.
I liked the writing in this a lot, and I would definitely be interested in picking up more short fiction from Lauren Aimee Curtis. I really liked the fact that we were only given a glimpse of Dolores - we never found out her true name or where she was from. We know she was used by boys in a way that definitely makes the reader uncomfortable but also in a way that doesn't come across as against Dolores' wishes. Just in a way that makes you sad for the more innocent and loved girl Dolores should have been. She didn't seem to be from a 'bad' family - she appeared to be loved. But things just didn't work out and she obviously felt the need to run away with a baby in her belly, rather than stay and receive some kind of support from her parents.
I loved Dolores's descriptions of the nuns and the convent - none of which are glowing. The picture painted of the old, silent, and mostly ugly nuns is done really well and I definitely felt the atmosphere and saw the picture being painted by Dolores. Yet, there is an odd fondness in how she describes them as well as despite everything, they have taken her in as a potential new member of the flock.
This short book is definitely worth a read for people who like literary fiction, and a fascinating insight into a confused young girl's mind. Really enjoyed it.
April 2, 2019
A strange, enjoyable story, told in spare but poetic prose. Dolores feels more like the kind of book you find coming out of Latin America than Australia. It has that enigmatic quality that I love.
I much prefer it when debut books are short novels like this rather than story collections - you get to know far more about the author and their style. Curtis is definitely one to watch.
I much prefer it when debut books are short novels like this rather than story collections - you get to know far more about the author and their style. Curtis is definitely one to watch.
August 6, 2023
‘Dolores wasn’t the name her mother had given her when she arrived in the world. Feet first.’
We meet Dolores outside a convent in June. She is sixteen, she is ill, she falls, she is taken in. Who is Dolores, and where did she come from?
‘When does Dolores’ story begin? From the first memory and then again from each variation of that same memory that comes after. Dolores was always reaching towards her past. Cold hands grasping in the dark. She was always gesturing, somewhat slyly, towards her future. If anything, her story must start somewhere in the middle.’
We never learn Dolores’s real name, even though we spend quite a bit of time with her in the past. Dolores is not (and will not be) the first young woman to be beguiled by the first young man to show her attention. But Angelo’s interest is transactional rather than romantic, and then he offers Dolores to others. Dolores becomes pregnant, Angelo abandons her and does not answer her calls.
‘How many times did she call before his phone was switched off? Twenty, maybe more.’
Dolores travels to her cousin in Seville.
‘In another hemisphere, on the other side of the world.’
We never know where Dolores came from. This part of the past is not shared with us. It is enough to know that Dolores made an escape (of sorts) although I wonder if her mother suspected her pregnancy and agreed to let her visit her cousin (and persuaded her husband to agree) after Dolores’s cousin paid the airfare. I wonder, but it is not an important detail.
In the convent, Dolores seems to find some comfort in the rituals. It is a small convent with elderly nuns, with a few novices seeking to take vows. She remembers the past and seems to be ignoring what is ahead. But there are dangers, even in a convent.
And the ending? What choice does Dolores have? What does she want to do?
I read this in one sitting because I needed to know how it would end. I felt sorry for Dolores. I wanted to know those parts of her story hidden from us: the dreams and ambitions of the young woman we only know as Dolores. I wanted to know what her future might hold. Would she return to (and remain in) the convent?
This is Ms Curtis’s first book, and what a powerful story it is. Highly recommended.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
We meet Dolores outside a convent in June. She is sixteen, she is ill, she falls, she is taken in. Who is Dolores, and where did she come from?
‘When does Dolores’ story begin? From the first memory and then again from each variation of that same memory that comes after. Dolores was always reaching towards her past. Cold hands grasping in the dark. She was always gesturing, somewhat slyly, towards her future. If anything, her story must start somewhere in the middle.’
We never learn Dolores’s real name, even though we spend quite a bit of time with her in the past. Dolores is not (and will not be) the first young woman to be beguiled by the first young man to show her attention. But Angelo’s interest is transactional rather than romantic, and then he offers Dolores to others. Dolores becomes pregnant, Angelo abandons her and does not answer her calls.
‘How many times did she call before his phone was switched off? Twenty, maybe more.’
Dolores travels to her cousin in Seville.
‘In another hemisphere, on the other side of the world.’
We never know where Dolores came from. This part of the past is not shared with us. It is enough to know that Dolores made an escape (of sorts) although I wonder if her mother suspected her pregnancy and agreed to let her visit her cousin (and persuaded her husband to agree) after Dolores’s cousin paid the airfare. I wonder, but it is not an important detail.
In the convent, Dolores seems to find some comfort in the rituals. It is a small convent with elderly nuns, with a few novices seeking to take vows. She remembers the past and seems to be ignoring what is ahead. But there are dangers, even in a convent.
And the ending? What choice does Dolores have? What does she want to do?
I read this in one sitting because I needed to know how it would end. I felt sorry for Dolores. I wanted to know those parts of her story hidden from us: the dreams and ambitions of the young woman we only know as Dolores. I wanted to know what her future might hold. Would she return to (and remain in) the convent?
This is Ms Curtis’s first book, and what a powerful story it is. Highly recommended.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
June 26, 2019
Lauren wields words like a knife. Cutting through with short sharp narration and evoking worlds within a sentence. Read Dolores.
August 11, 2019
Dolores is a slim novel but it contains enough feelings and discussion points of an entire series. Plus, it comes with a recommendation from Nell Zink, so how could I refuse this debut from an Australian writer?
Dolores isn’t the main character’s name. It’s kind of a nickname bestowed on her by the nuns who find her collapsed outside their convent. Right away, the reader knows that this story isn’t going to be straightforward. Dolores accepts her new name and gradually falls into the routine of the convent. The days and routines make everything fall into the same kind of rhythm without disruption, but Dolores sees things from the eyes of the outsider. How the food is never enough, even though the nuns chew the soup like it is steak. How the arrival of new postulants or a visit from a priest send the others into a flurry of expectation and activity. How there are undercurrents of favouritism and sex running through the community.
At night, Dolores dreams of home. Home is a country that is never named, but it appears to be the polar opposite of Spain in weather, wealth and Dolores’ behaviour. She dreams of her boyfriend, love hotels and his friends that come with them. She dreams of parties in abandoned hospitals and her cousin Liliana. Why has Dolores come to the convent? Does she know that she is pregnant?
Dolores is heavy with symbolism and juxtapositions between her ‘old’ life and the new. Everything is new, yet strangely the same with parallels between how the nuns act compared to the teenage girls at a party. There is sex, spite and gossip no matter where Dolores is, yet she doesn’t really react to it, accepting it as the norm. Sometimes I was heartbroken at the way Dolores lets herself be used by men, seeking a kind of acceptance from them or just accepting it as the way things are. The ending of the novel is very powerful and leaves Dolores at a junction to rebel or accept. Which will she choose?
Dolores is rich with detail, yet allows the reader to make their own conclusions about the story in a way that never feels frustrating. Lauren Aimee Curtis is an Australian writer to watch, as Dolores does not feel like a debut but a very polished, highly experienced work.
Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Dolores isn’t the main character’s name. It’s kind of a nickname bestowed on her by the nuns who find her collapsed outside their convent. Right away, the reader knows that this story isn’t going to be straightforward. Dolores accepts her new name and gradually falls into the routine of the convent. The days and routines make everything fall into the same kind of rhythm without disruption, but Dolores sees things from the eyes of the outsider. How the food is never enough, even though the nuns chew the soup like it is steak. How the arrival of new postulants or a visit from a priest send the others into a flurry of expectation and activity. How there are undercurrents of favouritism and sex running through the community.
At night, Dolores dreams of home. Home is a country that is never named, but it appears to be the polar opposite of Spain in weather, wealth and Dolores’ behaviour. She dreams of her boyfriend, love hotels and his friends that come with them. She dreams of parties in abandoned hospitals and her cousin Liliana. Why has Dolores come to the convent? Does she know that she is pregnant?
Dolores is heavy with symbolism and juxtapositions between her ‘old’ life and the new. Everything is new, yet strangely the same with parallels between how the nuns act compared to the teenage girls at a party. There is sex, spite and gossip no matter where Dolores is, yet she doesn’t really react to it, accepting it as the norm. Sometimes I was heartbroken at the way Dolores lets herself be used by men, seeking a kind of acceptance from them or just accepting it as the way things are. The ending of the novel is very powerful and leaves Dolores at a junction to rebel or accept. Which will she choose?
Dolores is rich with detail, yet allows the reader to make their own conclusions about the story in a way that never feels frustrating. Lauren Aimee Curtis is an Australian writer to watch, as Dolores does not feel like a debut but a very polished, highly experienced work.
Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
October 6, 2019
A short quick read, yet thoughtful and measured. Well paced. I wanted to know what happened to the protagonist, good ending.
December 5, 2019
Visceral, physical book about the sticky thing we call lust and those who (try to) deny it. Perfect for readers who, like me, are interested in books that deal with the female body, in all its various forms and all the things it produces.
November 1, 2019
Not usually a short story reader, but this I thought was well written and an interesting little story, worth a read.
April 16, 2022
Read this in less than 2 days (been a long time since I've done that with a book!). Pretty intense, quite visceral, bit grim. Very much recommend.
Reading other reviews, people seem to think that Dolores is too detached and the narrative too distant but I think that adds to it all; she's 12, then 15, then 17 - of course she's emotionally removed from these incredibly adult experiences she's thrust into. And even more so because she's drunk at times and eating very little at other times. But that's just my two cents.
Reading other reviews, people seem to think that Dolores is too detached and the narrative too distant but I think that adds to it all; she's 12, then 15, then 17 - of course she's emotionally removed from these incredibly adult experiences she's thrust into. And even more so because she's drunk at times and eating very little at other times. But that's just my two cents.
July 29, 2019
An easy to read novella; Dolores, a teenager who swiftly discovers the power of sex, now finds herself living in a convent and pregnant.
A read to get you thinking – racing through the story quickly then gives you time to stop and consider Dolores’ situation – the power of sex, the power of the church, and the lack of power of women.
Recommended if you’re looking for a quick read.
A read to get you thinking – racing through the story quickly then gives you time to stop and consider Dolores’ situation – the power of sex, the power of the church, and the lack of power of women.
Recommended if you’re looking for a quick read.
September 11, 2019
Riveting novella. Profoundly disturbing in parts. Leaves no clear resolution of what may become of Dolores and her very sad life.
December 7, 2019
This one can be read in one sitting; a novella that weaves the theme of denial and giving in to the flesh and its consequences in an ethereal manner. We are not told where Dolores has come from, but it is a place of telenovellas and love hotels and where she ends up can be garnered by the clues the author leaves throughout the pages of this intense, all enveloping written work...
August 12, 2019
Spare and poetic. I read it in just over 2 hours. Perfect for an afternoon in the sun.
November 3, 2023
I was engrossed from the first page of this story, which essentially gives the reader an advance summary of what is about to unfold - a young girl, collapsing at the gates of a convent, is taken in by the nuns. They name her Dolores. She adjusts to the rhythm of her new life - the mundane chores; the pottering, elderly nuns; the bells that ring throughout the day. And inside her, a baby is growing.
The stillness of the convent is spliced with Dolores' memories of her time before - of 'love motels' lit by neon red hearts; sour wine and dancing with friends; and a boy called Angelo.
Curtis's focus on small, intimate details lifts this story - the wiry hairs on the chins of the nuns; the anticipation as Angelo's silver car comes into view; the chafe of shoes and shame. When you are able to know so much about a character (and their history), from just a few lines, it's terrific writing -
There's violence in this book, again achieved through stark contrasts. But Curtis doesn't need to be explicit because the threats of institutions, and of groups of boys fueled by hormones and alcohol and peer pressure, are easily identifiable - all that Curtis does is orchestrate the tension, and she does it very well.
3/5
The stillness of the convent is spliced with Dolores' memories of her time before - of 'love motels' lit by neon red hearts; sour wine and dancing with friends; and a boy called Angelo.
Curtis's focus on small, intimate details lifts this story - the wiry hairs on the chins of the nuns; the anticipation as Angelo's silver car comes into view; the chafe of shoes and shame. When you are able to know so much about a character (and their history), from just a few lines, it's terrific writing -
Her father did not go to church but he prayed constantly. Little whisper prayers he said while driving or standing in the supermarket or at night before he went to bed. Dolores sometimes watched him through the crack of the bedroom door. That large man, on his knees, his brow furrowed and his hands clasped together, whispering. It was a powerful image. A man who could sometimes scare his children, now kneeling on the ground, surrendering to something higher.
There's violence in this book, again achieved through stark contrasts. But Curtis doesn't need to be explicit because the threats of institutions, and of groups of boys fueled by hormones and alcohol and peer pressure, are easily identifiable - all that Curtis does is orchestrate the tension, and she does it very well.
3/5
September 25, 2025
I love books about young girls finding a false strength in their burgeoning sexuality; believing 'I have so much power now,' when really, the power still lies in the hands of the men who desire them. I think thats what Dolores was about, or meant to be about? The writing is very atmospheric, sticky and heady and humid, but the characters pale against it. Dolores herself was just always out of reach of me. There was one passage about her motivations, which aren't even really motivations, and about two sentences at the end that gave some meaning to the books constant focus on bodys and bodily depictions as somewhat grotesque. All the other characters were nothing outside of physical depictions or lecherous men.
I'm not sure what this book was meant to leave me feeling, and I don't think I feel anything much at all about it.
I'm not sure what this book was meant to leave me feeling, and I don't think I feel anything much at all about it.
June 18, 2023
2.5 - the best thing about this book is that it has a nice cover.
The story itself was really interesting and had the foundations to be a lot more, but it was so short that it missed a lot of what could have really made it. I wondered if the lack of detail added intentional mystery, but I think there were too many questions left unanswered.
The story itself was really interesting and had the foundations to be a lot more, but it was so short that it missed a lot of what could have really made it. I wondered if the lack of detail added intentional mystery, but I think there were too many questions left unanswered.
January 27, 2020
Excellent, atmospheric and thought-provoking short novel/novella.
When a young woman arrives at the convent, little is known about her - not even her real name.
As the story progresses we learn more about what led this young woman to this place.
The convent provides a rich setting which is cleverly drawn. The character of Delores is well developed and intriguing and the back-story interwoven skilfully.
A beautifully written book.
When a young woman arrives at the convent, little is known about her - not even her real name.
As the story progresses we learn more about what led this young woman to this place.
The convent provides a rich setting which is cleverly drawn. The character of Delores is well developed and intriguing and the back-story interwoven skilfully.
A beautifully written book.
July 21, 2021
Poetic and discomforting
September 15, 2021
Undercooked.
January 11, 2025
Nice prose, disappointing ending. Lots of questions
January 15, 2020
A revelation.
September 14, 2020
After reading two chunkster novels in a row, I'm enjoying some compact novellas. Dolores is nominated for the 2020 Readings prize, and was shortlisted for the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing in the NSW Premier's Awards.
It's a bleak coming of age for the central character Dolores. That's not her real name, it's how the nuns re-name her when they take her into the convent.
She was sixteen, and with a mouth full of crooked teeth, when she tried to smile, she looked as though she were being pinched by small, hidden hands. So they named her well: it wasn't her name, but it's what she should have been called.
The convent is in Spain, and Dolores has made her way there from far away in an unnamed place where it is winter in June, to deal with a problem known only to her and to Angelo, the boyfriend that pimped her to his friends and abandoned her when the inevitable happened. The story alternates between her progress at the convent, where the nuns are hoping for new young nuns to take their places as they die off, and back to the months before her arrival when she was newly discovering her sensuality.
The prose is disconcertingly spare and unemotional, which makes it all the more powerful when Dolores finds that it's not only young men who want to exploit her.
Discipline in the convent is strict.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/09/14/d...
It's a bleak coming of age for the central character Dolores. That's not her real name, it's how the nuns re-name her when they take her into the convent.
Dolores, the nuns had said. It was a name that referred to aches and pains. Our Lady of Sorrows. (p.1)
She was sixteen, and with a mouth full of crooked teeth, when she tried to smile, she looked as though she were being pinched by small, hidden hands. So they named her well: it wasn't her name, but it's what she should have been called.
The convent is in Spain, and Dolores has made her way there from far away in an unnamed place where it is winter in June, to deal with a problem known only to her and to Angelo, the boyfriend that pimped her to his friends and abandoned her when the inevitable happened. The story alternates between her progress at the convent, where the nuns are hoping for new young nuns to take their places as they die off, and back to the months before her arrival when she was newly discovering her sensuality.
The prose is disconcertingly spare and unemotional, which makes it all the more powerful when Dolores finds that it's not only young men who want to exploit her.
Discipline in the convent is strict.
Inside in the convent, on the wall in the dining room, there is a large sign that reads 'Silentium.' The rule is strictly enforced. If necessary, the nuns speak using coded gestures of the hand. They motion for soup or for extra bread. Any unnecessary noise is considered vulgar. The sound of a spoon hitting the side of a bowl. Heavy footsteps in the corridors. The legs of a chair dragged across the floor. Once, when Dolores accidentally slammed the large wooden door on her way into the dining room, some of the nuns dropped to their knees. Pure horror flashed across their faces. It was as if a bomb had fallen from the sky. One nun stood frozen in the middle of the room with her hands covering her ears. (p. 51)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/09/14/d...
December 26, 2019
What a fabulous book to swallow up whole - as if Eileen met The End We Start From. Loved this so much.
February 9, 2024
This book is a good debut novel but i just felt unsatisfied by the ending , it is very quick to read and definitely interesting but i just constantly felt as-if the author could have delved abit deeper and explored some of the surface level ideas abit more , i would recommend it as a quick and entertaining read but not to provoke thought
January 18, 2020
After birthday celebrations then being ill, I finally fell back into this book and although I wouldn't write it off I'm unsure where it went, for the most part the storyline made sense. It then veered off and I just never caught up with it again.
Even at the end I'm unsure where it's going.
Even at the end I'm unsure where it's going.
November 19, 2025
Author: Lauren Aimee Curtis
Title: Dolores ( pg 128)
Genre: novella
Published: 2019
#AusReadingMonth2020
#NovNov20
Quick Scan:
16-year-old arrives, alone, at a convent in Spain. She is given the name Dolores.
Short and mysterious...one-sitting read. (2 hrs)...the close-up details of life in the convent. Each chapter shows Delores adapting to the nuns’ routines, before taking us to her backstory...to her secret.
Conclusion:
What can I say.... Of course you must remember this is a debut novella and the author will improve as time goes on. Ms Curtis was shortlisted for NSW Premier's Literary Award 2020 UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing ($5000). So somebody must have seen merit in this book. Unfortunately, I did not. A story is setup… Dolores is rendered human. We see her encounter a problem or challenge. She wanders through darkness in the convent. But here's the thing...she doesn't evolve into a problems solver or heroine. The book ends abruptly leaving me hanging in mid-air.
Weak point: too much description no irony, complexity, nuance, depth...it's all surface. But when you start writing...sometimes surface is enough.
Strong point: the blurb was better than the book!
#NotBadJustAverage
September 14, 2020
3.5* I think what I enjoyed about this was that it felt so very unlike an 'Australian' literary voice -- and all that has come to be conventional of that -- and chimed more with a South American one, to the extent that I half-expected magical realism to dribble through the seams between the two woven storylines. There is the story of teenage Dolores's life at the convent over the course of her pregnancy, and Dolores's life that brought her there. There isn't any magical realism, although the opening and closing scenes did have a melodramatic, fabulist, telenovela quality. This is not a story with characterisation -- but one about characterising women. There are two roles. We know them.
June 1, 2019
Dolores is a novella about a young girl who turns up a convent, is taken in and given the name Dolores. She learns the everyday life of the convent whilst remembering how she got there: motels, cars, a boy called Angelo, and a trip to visit her cousin. The novella builds towards the inevitable climax with a careful, detailed yet concise style, unfolding Dolores' story as it goes on. This is a short read that conjures up a visceral, fleeting image of a girl in crisis.
September 4, 2019
Nice short novella. Nothing groundbreaking plot-wise but I liked the writing.
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