A writer in the midst of a creative and existential crisis stumbles by chance into Pasión Nails, a neighborhood nail salon where, amid laughter, nail polish, and sisterhood, she strikes up an unexpected friendship with a Roma woman who will transform her life—and her teenage daughter’s. An entertaining and inspiring story about women, class struggle… and nails! From acclaimed writer Rosario Izquierdo.
Pepa is an unemployed writer, married to Job and mother of two teenagers, caught in a life crisis marked by routine, joblessness, and disillusionment. One day, almost on impulse, she steps into Pasión Nails, a nail salon in a working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of Seville, and discovers a vibrant, tough, and deeply supportive female universe, completely foreign to her. What begins as a simple beauty appointment becomes the start of a personal transformation.
There she forms an unexpected bond with Fani, a young Roma woman bursting with energy, who eventually asks her something surprising: to help her improve her reading, which she hasn’t practiced since school. This leads to a series of intimate meetings at Pepa’s house, where they read Lorca’s poetry and share pieces of their lives. Fani tells her about La Keli, her mother and a neighborhood matriarch, whom Pepa becomes obsessed with and will go to great lengths to meet. She also meets Alberto, Fani’s self-destructive, alcoholic brother, who poses a danger to everyone around him.
Pepa’s relationship with her family begins to improve. Her marriage to Job regains some of the joy it once had. Meanwhile, Candela, Pepa’s teenage daughter, also starts frequenting the salon, further expanding the mirror-play between generations and social classes. The visits to Pasión Nails grow increasingly meaningful, turning into real gatherings, cultural clashes, deep conversations, and reflections that eventually forge an unbreakable bond between Pepa and the women who work there.
Pepa finds herself profoundly changed. No longer the distant observer who randomly entered the salon for a manicure, she now belongs to something that makes her confront her contradictions and social status in entirely new ways. She finally meets La Keli and invites her home. Against Job’s wishes, she even trusts Alberto to carry out a small renovation at their house—with surprisingly good results.
Now, Pepa sees the world with new eyes and feels she has recovered her voice. And it’s all thanks to the women of Pasión Nails, especially Fani, and the world they’ve opened up to her. By the end, Pepa has become part of Fani’s family—so much so that she’s invited to her wedding and dances alongside her as if she were Roma herself. A story full of contradictions, humor, tenderness, and truth about two different worlds and the transformative power that can emerge from the most unexpected places.
RELEVANT INFORMATION: Rosario Izquierdo (Huelva, 1964) is a sociologist, writer, and writing workshop coordinator. Some of her works have been adapted into TV series. Pasión Nails is her fourth novel—a work of autofiction that explores themes like privilege, class, gender, and generational divides through a narrative that is simple, tender, and funny, opening up an entire world to the reader.
Pasión Nails is both a social portrait and an intimate exploration of a protagonist in crisis. A novel that stirs and moves, told from Pepa’s perspective and rich in interior monologue, it also gives voice to a charming cast of marginal characters shaped by economic hardship, early motherhood, diverse bodies, and popular wisdom marked by prejudice and contradiction. This wealth of characters offers many creative possibilities for adaptation.
Critical praise:
“Speaks of social and political dimensions to disarm a humanity growing ever harsher […] with a sharp and polished prose.” — Miguel Ángel Oeste
“Layer by layer, insight by insight, Pasión Nails is a novel that matches its language to the rhythm of real life—with its contrasts, revelations, and detours.” — Nadal Suau, Babelia
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Movie
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish
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