‘I’m Laura. I have nine fingers. I was born that way. Life with nine fingers is not bad at all. People with nine fingers simply live their lives among all other people, as if they have all ten fingers. Sometimes they keep their maimed hand in a trouser pocket, or clenched in a fist, to hide it from strangers.’
Girl with the nine fingers is a story about two Catalan sisters: Laura and Moira grew up during the latter years of General Franco’s dictatorship. Their parents bring the girls up in ‘total honesty and freedom’. They raise their daughters without taking photographs of them. Instead, they teach their children to make photos in their head. By the time Laura turns 34 her head is starting to become full and she fears memory loss.
Girl with the nine fingers has not been published in English. You can find it in Dutch, Spanish, Catalan, French, Italian, Norwegian, Danish and Turkish.