La La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono

La La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono

A teenage orphan's quest of self-discovery in Equitorial Guinea, and a "unique contribution to LGBTQ literature" (Kirkus Reviews).

"Though I live a world away from Equatorial Guinea, I saw so much of myself in Okomo: a tomboy itching to be free and to escape society's rigged game. I cheered her on with every page, and wished--for myself and all girls--for the bravery to create our own world." --Maggie Thrash, author of Honor Girl

The first novel by an Equatorial Guinean woman to be translated into English, La Bastarda is the story of the orphaned teen Okomo, who lives under the watchful eye of her grandmother and dreams of finding her father. Forbidden from seeking him out, she enlists the help of other village outcasts: her gay uncle and a gang of "mysterious" girls reveling in their so-called indecency. Drawn into their illicit trysts, Okomo finds herself falling in love with their leader and rebelling against the rigid norms of Fang culture.

Trifonia Melibea Obono is a journalist and political scientist who researches women and gender in Africa. She is a professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences department of the National University of Equatorial Guinea. Currently, she is pursuing her doctorate in gender studies and human rights from the University of Salamanca, Spain. Her short story La Negra was included in the anthology Voces feministas de Guinea Ecuatorial (Barcelona: Mey 2015) and her first novel, Herencia de bindendee, was published by Editions del Auge (Madrid: 2016).