It is common to talk about the shadows of the lights in the literature, the dark side of a character, the stumbling blocks of a civilization or the vicissitudes of hidden life. But Arrate Egaña takes the opposite course in the collection of Itzalen shimmering stories: black clouds can always have solar rays.

The title marks the point of departure and the thread that these stories share, because, if not, the themes and situations of these texts are very varied: in clearing what has been lived in prison, artistic councils for the future, the transition between life and death, those carried out for the recognition of others, family ties and ruptures, those of friendship and love, the management of the burden of dependency and the ecological justice of young people.

There are eight narratives in total and their protagonists are not usual: a man who has just come out of jail, an old lady who lives looking out of the window, an athlete daughter who is going to prepare the funeral for the church, a soloist who goes on a tour of the retirees, a young lady who is about to leave her parents, a high school student for the teacher, a seriéphilous who wants to recover the lost life and a green vegan animal lover.

I have been made uncomfortable by Marquez, the Substitute Theory and the Final Destination stories, because those that are produced create a strange environment, because there are behaviors that are socially rejected, and therefore, those that are explained there allow philosophical debates about ethics or morality.

Who is this bed of? The other one who lives in Me and with Mercy's narratives has come to me a smile. Because, despite the ailments and dislikes of situations, it is easy to empathize with the protagonist at some point. We have all had similar contradictory thoughts or feelings at some time.

With Lolita's mother, being involved in a literature teacher, I have a desire to share it with my fellow teachers and with my students (I have not yet done so). And the story Itzalak is at the heart of this collection, because many shadows come together under one roof, within a normal family; parallel turning points of many lives. This book has been a nice surprise, curious, beautiful and recommendable.