Frenetics (Frenéticas)

When Sandro’s mansion is put up for sale, five retired women and lifelong fans of the legendary singer decide to sell everything they own in order to buy their idol’s home before it falls into someone else’s hands. Rivalries, disasters, faith healers, obsessions, and a succession of outrageous situations will shape the greatest adventure of their lives, proving that it is never too late to pursue a dream. 

Rosita, Chamu, Marilú, Justina, and Sandrita are five retired friends who have spent more than half a century orbiting around a single shared passion: Sandro, one of the most beloved and influential figures in Argentine popular music, a performer capable of inspiring near-religious devotion in generations of admirers. Over the years they have survived marriages, widowhood, financial hardship, illness, disappointments, and spectacular arguments, yet they remain united by an overwhelming friendship and their unwavering love for their idol. Eccentric, contradictory, hilarious, and deeply endearing, the Nenas have turned fandom into a way of life.

Everything changes when Rosita discovers in a magazine that the mansion where Sandro once lived is up for sale. The news lands like a bombshell. Unable to bear the thought of the property ending up in the hands of strangers, the five women make a decision that is as outrageous as it is inevitable: they will buy the house themselves.

The problem is that they do not have the money. To raise it, they agree to sell their own homes and risk everything on what seems an impossible venture. As the real estate agent tries to secure buyers, Rosita unintentionally becomes every potential purchaser’s worst nightmare. Unable to let go of her home, she cannot stop pointing out damp patches, defects, and structural problems whenever someone comes to view it. As if that were not enough, she develops a painful case of shingles, which her friends affectionately call “the little snake.” As the illness spreads, Rosita becomes obsessed with finding a cure and embarks on a journey through doctors’ offices, folk remedies, rituals, and self-proclaimed healers, none of whom provide any relief.

Meanwhile, an old rivalry erupts once again between the Nenas and Sandro’s official fan club. It all begins when Chamu discovers that Norma, her longtime nemesis, has managed to digitally animate an old photograph of the singer. Fascinated by the possibility of seeing Sandro move once more, she becomes determined to uncover the secret. Norma agrees to reveal it, but only in exchange for a legendary relic among the fans: the red robe Sandro threw into the audience during one of his final concerts. Since she has always suspected that Marilú ended up with it, the demand reopens decades of jealousy, resentment, and unresolved disputes.

The search for the famous robe leads to an unexpected revelation. While searching through Marilú’s house, the friends discover a hidden stash of dollars she has been secretly saving for years. The money turns out to be exactly what they need to complete the amount required for the purchase. For the first time, the dream no longer feels like a fantasy and begins to look like a genuine possibility.

As the purchase draws nearer, excitement mingles with something harder to define. Houses are sold, belongings are packed, and the Nenas begin letting go of the lives they spent decades building. What started as a wildly improbable adventure gradually becomes a reflection on aging, identity, the passage of time, and everything that must be sacrificed in pursuit of a heartfelt desire.

When the day of the signing finally arrives, nerves reach a breaking point. Old grievances threaten to derail the deal at the very last moment, but the five friends manage to remain united and sign the deed in the presence of Olga, Sandro’s widow. After a lifetime spent gazing at the mansion from beyond its walls, they finally become its owners.

For Rosita, however, victory brings an unexpected unease. That same night, she suffers a serious health crisis and is hospitalized. While her friends celebrate the fulfillment of their lifelong dream, she asks a question no one can answer: “What happens next?” For years, all her energy had been devoted to a single goal. Now that the goal has become reality, she finds herself staring into an unfamiliar emptiness.

The story reaches its climax on moving day. As news outlets across the country turn the arrival of the Nenas at the mansion into a media sensation, the novel concludes with a celebration that is as exuberant as it is moving: Sandro songs, dancing, champagne, shared memories, and five women who have accomplished what once seemed impossible. What begins as a comedy about a group of devoted fans determined to purchase a house ultimately reveals itself as a heartfelt story about friendship, the passage of time, and the importance of continuing to chase dreams even when the world insists it is already too late.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Magdalena Girardi is an Argentine writer whose literary career began in short fiction. She received an Honorable Mention in the 2020 Haroldo Conti Short Story Competition for her story Delta. In 2024, she was selected for the Bunge y Born Foundation Writing Grant Award.

She made her debut as a novelist with Frenéticas (2021), a comedy built around absurd humor while offering a profound reflection on the passage of time, friendship, and identity. The novel combines lively dialogue, highly distinctive characters with great comic energy, and a recognizable world steeped in Argentine popular culture. Its greatest strength lies in the uniqueness of its protagonists and in its balance of humor, emotion, and nostalgia.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Limited Series, Feature Film, TV Film. 

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.