You can now order online the English version of this book between the comedy and self-help of the Colombian writer

What is it about?

"You always change the love of your life (for another love or another life)" can be defined, in its simplest form, as a manual to heal a broken heart. It has elements of self-fiction, when the author uses her own story to exemplify the different steps of a duel when a romantic relationship ends (or of any type of mourning). It is also crossed by jokes, which make laughs between tears. From personal stories to delicious recipes to return to self-care, Andrade's book has everything a millennial may need when it comes to overcoming a breakup or any moment that might mean a duel: from the death of a pet to the rejection of the dream job.

Who wrote it?

Amalia Andrade is a Colombian writer and illustrator. She was born in Cali and is a professional in Literary Studies at the Javeriana University, one of the most prestigious in Bogotá. She is recognized for venturing IGNORE INTO different genres, considered by the academy as "less serious", or that have less prestige, but without shyness and without apology. Her career began thanks to social media, in particular Instagram, where she published small texts and illustrations with sufficient judgment to draw the attention of Planeta, the largest publishing house in the Spanish language.The translation of her first book to English will be released by Penguin Random House on the 29th of January. 

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Andrade still uses her digital platforms to talk about topics that are often considered taboo, such as mental health. She has published two more books. "Cosas que piensas cuando te muerdes las uñas" ("Things that you think when you bite your nails") is a book about fear and about the different anxiety disorders, which was written with the help of the knowledge of psychologists and psychiatrists experts in the subject. The other is a book and at the same time not: the "Tarot magicomístico de estrellas (pop)" ("Tarot of Magicomistic (pop) Stars"), which has the XXII major arcana of the tarot reimagined as our favorite pop stars (from Shakira to Beyoncé), and a small guide to learn to read it .

Read or pass?

To overcome the shame, to learn to love oneself again, or just to laugh for a while, "You always change the love of your life (for another love or another life)" is one of the best options. Graphically, it is a very interesting book. Andrade did it completely by hand and then it was digitized by its editor. In fact, she had to rewrite it, because first he finished it in the paper size it was not, and as she says several times in her social media, "her hand almost fell off". Andrade's books are often not considered "serious literature", but precisely there is where her added value is: she does not take herself too seriously.

LatinAmerican Post | Laura Rocha Rueda