Las voladoras

Las voladoras (English: The Flying Women) is a book of short stories by Ecuadorian writer Mónica Ojeda, published for the first time in 2020 by publishing house Páginas de Espuma. The book is composed of eight stories that take place in Andean settings which are marked by mysticism, violence, ancestral rites, and horror, in a style that the author herself defined as Andean gothic. Some of the themes she addresses include: feminicides, domestic violence, grief, child abuse, forbidden love, and abortion, among others. The book was well received by critics and was included in several lists of the best books of 2020. Moreover, it was a finalist for the Premio de Narrativa Breve Ribera del Duero and the Premio Finestres literary awards. The title Las voladoras comes from the first story in the book, which in turn is based on a myth from the town of Mira, in Carchi Province, Ecuador. The people of Mira believe that women go into a magical trance during the night, go up to the roofs of their houses, spread honey on their underarms, and start to fly, all of this without having any memory whatsoever of these events the morning after.