It's a rainy weekend in Bogota, and Melissa is about to graduate from high school. If, that is, she can scrape together the money to pay for the printer she broke. Melissa used to break a lot of things, but after five years of living with her aunt Anahi, she has become much better at controlling her anger.

A fierce, witty exploration of growing up and transformation, showcasing a bold new voice in Latin American fiction.

It's a rainy weekend in Bogot, and eighteen-year-old Melissa is about to graduate from school. If, that is, she can scrape together the money to pay for the printer she broke. Melissa used to break a lot of things, but after five years of living with her aunt Anah, she has become much better at controlling her anger. Then, out of the blue and for the first time in six months, Melissa's mother calls her and invites her to spend the weekend together in their old neighbourhood. Melissa is excited to spend time with her, but nervous about returning to the scene of her troubled early adolescence. Will she make it to Monday morning without jeopardising her future or being swallowed up by her past?

Details

ISBN13: 9781916806122
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 192
Edition:
Publication Date: 01 May 2026
Publisher: Peirene Press Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x12.5(L)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

Lina Munar Guevara (b. 1996) is a writer and lawyer from Bogot, Colombia. Imagine Breaking Everything was published by Himpar Editores in 2022 and was shortlisted for the Sundial Literary Translation Award (2023). Her story 'In the Mountains' is published in English (translated by Ellen Jones) in a collection of Latin American horror stories titled Through the Night Like a Snake, part of Two Lines Press's Calico Series (2024). Lina has an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University.

Ellen Jones is a writer, editor, and literary translator from Spanish. Her recent and forthcoming translations include Restoration by Ave Barrera (co-translated with Robin Myers), Cubanthropy by Ivn de la Nuez, The Remains by Margo Glantz (shortlisted for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation 2023) and Nancy by Bruno Lloret. Her monograph, Literature in Motion: Translating Multilingualism Across the Americas is published by Columbia University Press (2022). Her short fiction has appeared in Litro Magazine, Slug and The London Magazine.

Reviews

'What makes [Imagine Breaking Everything] an unforgettable read is the combination of who Melissa is as a character and her voice. Not only is she the rare female protagonist who externalizes her rage, literally punching first so she won't become the punching bag, but as a first-person narrator she is brutally honest, funny, self-aware, and able to create moments of utter heartbreak and insight while staying true to the rawness of Bogota slang.'
- Diana Andrade Melgarejo, Latin American Literature Today

'The voice is electric, funny, furious — the kind of debut that announces a writer already in full stride.' 

- Leo Boix, The Morning Star

'The new voice to know… Told with fierce honesty and dark humour, it’s a story of anger, forgiveness, and self-discovery. I read it in one sitting.’

- Samantha Hass, Service95