A timely story about three women and their complex relationship with motherhood.
From award-winning journalist Patricia de Blas comes a powerful and necessary novel that explores the many faces—and costs—of being a mother.
In a fictional Spain that closely mirrors the present day, Carolina, Julia, and Antía lead radically different lives. Carolina is a scientific researcher who is firmly convinced she doesn’t want children and joins the new Liberal Party, hoping to change the country without compromising her principles. Julia is a successful consultant with a seemingly perfect life, except for one unfulfilled desire: to become a mother. Antía, meanwhile, gave up her career to care for her child and now finds herself in severe financial difficulty. They don’t know each other, but their lives intersect when Spain passes a surrogacy law.
Months earlier, after a coalition government is formed between the Liberal and Socialist parties, Carolina is appointed Minister of Health and spearheads the surrogacy legislation. Her goal is to create a fair, non-profit system that protects gestational carriers. But she soon realizes that not everyone in her party shares her ideals, and the political world is filled with shadowy alleyways—of lies, personal gain, and image manipulation—that she may not be willing to enter.
Meanwhile, after much effort, Julia finally becomes pregnant—only to suffer a miscarriage. Emotionally devastated, she begins to unravel, even pretending to be her niece’s mother in front of other moms and nearly suffocating the child in an attempt to breastfeed her. When the media picks up on the new law, and all other options have failed, Julia begins to see surrogacy as her last chance.
Antía, too, is struggling. With no job and a worsening economic situation, she first donates eggs to make ends meet. One day at the clinic, she’s offered the chance to become a surrogate. She hesitates, sparking a heated argument with her husband. But when the bank threatens to repossess their home, the decision becomes clear: this is the only way to get the money they urgently need.
On the day of the birth, Carolina appears on national television to announce the arrival of the first Spanish baby born via surrogacy—the child of Julia and her husband, carried by Antía. What she doesn’t reveal is that she plans to step away from politics in a few months. In the hospital, Antía feels broken, as if she’s lost something she’ll never recover. Julia, holding her newborn, feels no joy—only a haunting question: “Do I look like a mother?”
KEY FACTS: Cara de madre (Like a Mother) is a work of fiction set in Spain, but its themes could easily apply to any Western country debating surrogacy legislation. Told through the perspectives of its three female protagonists, the novel invites readers to empathize with all those affected by such a law.
Written with realism and empathy, the book addresses issues such as infertility, motherhood, work-life balance, economic hardship, and family pressure. It also offers an insightful look into the inner workings of political parties and the emotional toll of public and private expectations placed on women.
Contemporary motherhood is a deeply relevant topic with proven audiovisual appeal, as seen in recent Spanish films like Salve María, Lullaby and Mamífera.
This is Patricia de Blas’s second novel. A journalist and writer, she has worked for outlets such as El País and La Marea. Her debut novel was a finalist for the 32nd Torrente Ballester Prize and won the Emerging Talent Award “La Torre de Babel” and the 4th Young Aragonese Creators Award.
Critical acclaim and reviews:
“A dynamic, easy-to-read novel focused on the lives of three different women. […] Highly recommended.” – Casa del Libro
“Patricia de Blas crafts a powerful novel around motherhood and the many ways women face it—whether by embracing it, longing for it, or rejecting it.” – Culturamas
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Movie
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish
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