“With her horror fiction novel debut, de Fez taps into the fears and pressures of mother/daughter relationships through biting dark humour and visceral body horror.”
Alba relies on her mother, Carmen, for errands and validation of her every fear. But there are fears Alba refuses to confront … simmering, bursting, but never quite erupting. Yet Carmen is forever at her side. Alba’s sister, Diana, deals with her own struggles, raising children and her job, but can’t remember the last time Carmen assisted her.
Right before Christmas, Alba and Carmen go to the mall. There, they run into the formidable “widows”, who approach Alba and put an evil eye on her. The nose bleed is all the signs she needs to know.
Alba disappears Christmas Eve, and both Diana and Carmen collapse from the burning pain their bellies. A deep gash splits their purging stomachs. Long held tensions explode, and the three women are finally forced to confront the terror that connects them.
Why we’re excited about this book:
Known for her non-fiction about horror and fantasy, Desirée de Fez steps into the horror fiction arena with a highly anticipated novel. de Fez is the author of a book of essays about horror fiction and women, Reina del grito, and has work featured in such publications as Fotogramas and Rockdelux. De Fez also created the podcast Reinas del grito. With her horror fiction novel debut, de Fez taps into the fears and pressures of mother/daughter relationships through biting dark humour and visceral body horror. Gus Moreno (This Thing Between Us) says: “Don’t Leave Her Alone captures that special kind of neuroticism intrinsic to each family. The obligation of mothers to their daughters, of sisters to each other, erupts with enough blood and viscera to make Clive Barker proud. Desirée de Fez delivers a Christmas miracle in the darkest way possible.”, and Mariana Enríquez (Our Share of Night) says: “Being mothers and being daughters can feel like body horror, and that is what Desiree de Fez’s brilliant debut novel does: it turns bonds of intense love into torn bodies, glitter, and anxiety. Don’t Leave Her Alone is full of tenderness and delirium, moving between suburban realism and fairy tale.”
Releasing from G.P. Putnam’s Sons 13 October 2026, Don’t Leave Her Alone by Desirée de Fez (translated by Lizzie Davis) is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA
