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Permafrost by Eva Baltasar

Permafrost by Eva Baltasar

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Tk 163.00 BDT
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Permafrost by Eva Baltasar is a sharp, intimate literary novel about a young woman navigating desire, family expectations, depression, and her determination to live on her own terms. The unnamed narrator moves through relationships, work, travel, and periods of emotional instability while resisting the conventional life her family expects from her. Written in a candid, darkly humorous, and poetic voice, the novel explores sexuality, solitude, identity, and the tension between freedom and responsibility. As the narrator confronts her fears and attachments, Permafrost becomes an intense psychological portrait of a woman trying to preserve her independence while searching for meaning and connection. Read More

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About Permafrost by Eva Baltasar—A Bold Story of Desire, Solitude, and the Fight to Stay Free

What happens when the life others want for you feels like a locked room? Permafrost by Eva Baltasar enters the mind of an unnamed young woman who wants freedom from family rules, social pressure, fixed jobs, and the idea that every woman must live in one accepted way. She moves through cities, lovers, books, art, and private thoughts while trying to understand whether life can offer a shape she truly wants.

This short literary novel is direct, sensual, darkly funny, and emotionally intense. Eva Baltasar writes with the power of a poet, using physical images and clean sentences to make each feeling vivid. Julia Sanches carries that voice into English through a translation that keeps its energy and edge. The result is a daring book for readers who value unusual narrators, queer stories, poetic prose, and fiction that refuses easy answers.

A Woman Who Refuses the Life Chosen for Her

The narrator of Permafrost does not dream of a safe job, a traditional family, or a quiet place inside ordinary society. She sees many common goals as traps. Her mother worries and tries to control her. Her sister follows a more familiar path. The narrator wants distance from both their expectations and the rules placed on women more widely.

This conflict gives the novel its force. The narrator wants to escape every cage, but she also carries pain inside herself. A new city cannot remove it. A new lover cannot always reach it. Even when she feels alive through sex, language, beauty, or movement, thoughts of death remain near.

Why the Title Matters

Permafrost is earth that stays frozen for a very long time. In the novel, that image becomes a way to understand the narrator’s emotional defence. She builds a frozen layer between herself and a world that feels demanding, false, or dangerous.

The layer helps her survive. It keeps family pressure, unwanted roles, and emotional demands at a distance. However, it also makes close connection hard. The same shield that protects her can stop warmth from reaching her.

The title therefore holds the main question of the book: can a person protect herself without becoming trapped inside her own protection? Baltasar does not offer a simple lesson. She lets the narrator live inside the problem, and readers feel its weight through her words.

A Story Told Through Moments and Memories

This novel does not move like a normal adventure with one clear mission. It unfolds through short scenes, memories, thoughts, relationships, journeys, and sudden images. The form matches the narrator’s restless mind.

One moment may focus on family. Another may move to a lover, a job, a room, a book, or a thought about death. These pieces slowly build a full picture of the woman speaking. Readers learn who she is through the way she watches the world.

Readers who enjoy a fast plot with many outside events should know that Permafrost is more focused on voice and inner life. Its movement comes from emotional change. The reward is a deep meeting with a character who does not hide her most uncomfortable thoughts.

Dark Humour Beside Deep Pain

The subject matter of Permafrost is serious, but the book is not heavy on every page. The narrator has a sharp sense of humour. She notices the strange parts of family life, work, travel, love, and social behaviour.

Her jokes do not remove her pain. They show one way she keeps control. Humour becomes another kind of shield, allowing her to look at frightening subjects without becoming silent.

This mix gives the novel a special tone. A scene may be funny and sad at the same time. A clever remark may reveal fear underneath. A sensual memory may sit beside a thought of disappearance. The changes can be surprising, but they reflect how real feelings often arrive together.

Baltasar trusts readers to hold these opposites. She does not divide life into clean parts called happy, tragic, romantic, or funny. For the narrator, all of them exist in the same body.

Desire, Sex, and the Right to Choose

The narrator is open about her attraction to women and her enjoyment of sex. Her desire is not presented as a small side story. It is part of how she understands her body, her freedom, and her place in the world.

The novel challenges the idea that a woman’s body must serve family, marriage, motherhood, or social approval. The narrator wants ownership of her pleasure and solitude. She does not wish to become easier for other people to accept.

At the same time, physical connection does not solve every emotional problem. Lovers come and go. Desire can create moments of freedom, but it cannot always break the frozen layer around her inner self.

This honest treatment makes Permafrost important within queer and feminist literary fiction. It gives space to a lesbian narrator who is not reduced to a simple message. She is allowed to be difficult, intelligent, sexual, troubled, and fully herself.

The book contains mature sexual material and is intended for adult readers. Its direct language is part of the narrator’s character and the novel’s larger argument about bodily freedom.

Family Love That Can Also Feel Like Pressure

Her mother’s care often feels like control. Worry becomes a force that pushes the narrator toward a life she does not want. Her sister represents a path that seems more accepted and secure, yet the narrator cannot simply copy it.

These relationships are not presented as a simple fight between good and bad people. Love exists, but so do frustration, distance, fear, and judgment. The narrator wants to escape the family’s expectations, even while family ties continue to shape her.

Readers who have felt different from their families may understand this conflict. It can be hard to choose your own path when people close to you believe they know what will make you safe or happy.

The novel asks whether care without understanding can become another cage. It also shows that total freedom from family may be impossible because memory and emotion travel with us.

Facing Depression and Thoughts of Death

The narrator lives with repeated thoughts of suicide. These thoughts are part of her private world and influence how she views ordinary life, relationships, and the future.

Baltasar treats this subject through the narrator’s own voice, which can be blunt, calm, poetic, or darkly funny. The novel does not offer a simple cure or turn mental pain into a neat lesson. It shows a person moving between a wish to disappear and moments of strong pleasure in being alive.

Readers should approach the book with care if themes of depression, self-harm, or suicide are difficult for them. It also includes explicit sexual content and complicated family relationships.

Permafrost is literary fiction, not a mental-health guide. Anyone facing thoughts of self-harm or suicide should seek immediate help from a trusted person, qualified professional, or local emergency service. The novel may open meaningful discussion, but it cannot replace real support.

The Power of a Poet Writing Fiction

Eva Baltasar was already known for poetry before publishing this debut novel. That background can be felt in the strength of her images and the rhythm of her sentences.

She often turns a body, room, street, plant, or piece of weather into something emotionally charged. A physical detail can reveal more than a long explanation. The writing is compact, but it creates a large inner world.

Julia Sanches translates the novel from Catalan into English. The English version keeps the narrator’s directness, humour, sensuality, and poetic force. Readers can enjoy translated literature without facing stiff or needlessly difficult language.

Because the book is concise, every line matters. It is possible to read it quickly, yet many images may stay in the mind afterward. Readers may wish to return to certain passages and notice how the title’s frozen image changes across the story.

This style makes Permafrost a good choice for readers who enjoy books where voice is more important than a large plot and where language carries emotional weight.

What Readers Can Discover in Permafrost

This novel offers a rich experience within a short form. Readers will find:

  • An unforgettable first-person narrator with a sharp and fearless voice.

  • A queer story centred on lesbian desire, autonomy, and self-definition.

  • Poetic language filled with bold, physical images.

  • Dark humour that gives energy to difficult subjects.

  • A serious exploration of depression, suicide, and the will to live.

  • Honest questions about family love and family control.

  • A challenge to narrow ideas about womanhood, work, and motherhood.

  • Short scenes that build an intense portrait of inner life.

  • A skilled English translation by Julia Sanches.

  • A prize-winning introduction to Eva Baltasar’s fiction.

The book does not promise comfort at every turn. Its benefit comes from honesty. It lets readers meet a woman who speaks without trying to appear polite, simple, or easy to love.

Who Will Enjoy This Novel?

Permafrost is best suited to adult readers who enjoy literary fiction, queer literature, translated fiction, feminist writing, poetic prose, and complex female characters. It will appeal to people who prefer a strong voice over a traditional plot.

Students of literature, translation, gender studies, and modern European writing can find many ideas to examine. Book clubs can discuss the meaning of the title, the narrator’s choices, the role of family, and the balance between freedom and isolation.

Readers who enjoy short books with emotional depth may value how much Baltasar achieves in a small space. It is also a strong choice for anyone who wants to explore contemporary Catalan literature in English.

A Premium Edition for Lasting Reading

This Bookish Wonderland edition is created for a comfortable and durable reading experience. Premium eye-soothing cream paper gives the pages a soft appearance under normal light. Crystal-clear printing keeps the text sharp and easy to follow. High-quality stitched and glue binding supports repeated reading and helps the pages stay secure.

The printed format is useful for readers who want to underline striking lines, add notes, or prepare ideas for a class or book-club discussion. It also makes a thoughtful gift for readers of queer, feminist, and translated literary fiction.

Why Choose Bookish Wonderland?

Bookish Wonderland offers a large collection of premium and durable English books with delivery across the country. If you are comparing the Permafrost by Eva Baltasar Book price in Bangladesh, remember that paper comfort, clear printing, and binding quality add value to every reading.

Cash on Delivery is available across Bangladesh. We deliver inside and outside Dhaka, while customers in Dhaka may ask about fast or urgent delivery. For availability, order support, or delivery details, contact Bookish Wonderland through Facebook or Instagram.

Enter a Voice That Refuses to Be Tamed

Permafrost asks what it costs to live freely when family, society, and the mind itself keep building walls. Through one woman’s fearless voice, Eva Baltasar explores the strange space between wanting life and wanting escape, between needing solitude and longing to be touched.

Order Permafrost by Eva Baltasar from Bookish Wonderland today. Discover a bold work of translated literary fiction filled with desire, wit, pain, and poetic beauty. Nationwide delivery, Cash on Delivery, and fast or urgent delivery options in Dhaka make ordering simple.

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Primary Specification
AuthorEva Baltasar
TranslatorJulia Sanches
GenreLiterary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, LGBTQ+ Fiction
ISBN-13/ISSN978-1911508755
ISBN-10191150875X
PublisherAnd Other Stories
Publishing DateApril 20, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Reading Age18+
Format Printed book
Physical Specification & Quality
Paper QualityPremium eye-soothing cream paper
Binding Quality High quality stitched and glue binding (for longevity)
Print QualityCrystal-clear print
Pages128 pages
CountrySpain
Logistics Information
Weight148 gm
Length8.5 inches
Width5.6 inches
Height0.5 inch
What is Permafrost by Eva Baltasar about?

Permafrost is a compact literary novel about an unnamed young lesbian woman trying to preserve her independence while resisting the roles that family and society expect her to accept. Restless and emotionally detached, she moves between Barcelona, Brussels, Scotland, different jobs, temporary homes, books, relationships, and sexual encounters while repeatedly imagining ways of escaping life altogether. Her mother pressures her toward conventional stability, while her sister’s marriage and motherhood offer another version of adulthood that the narrator does not naturally desire. Beneath her sharp humor and apparent self-sufficiency is a person searching for a way to remain alive without surrendering her autonomy. Eva Baltasar tells the story through short, nonlinear fragments rather than a conventional plot, combining sexuality, family tension, loneliness, mortality, pleasure, books, travel, and the female body. It is psychologically intimate literary fiction rather than a traditional romance or plot-driven novel.

How many books are in the Triptych series by Eva Baltasar, and what are they?

There are no books in a series for Permafrost by Eva Baltasar . It is a standalone Contemporary Literary Novel.

What does the title Permafrost mean, and why is it important to the narrator?

“Permafrost” works as a metaphor for the protective emotional layer the narrator creates between herself and the outside world. Like permanently frozen ground, this psychological barrier helps prevent other people, expectations, relationships, and painful emotions from penetrating too deeply. She often presents herself as detached, cynical, independent, and resistant to conventional commitments, yet the novel gradually demonstrates that this apparent coldness is not the absence of feeling. It is partly a method of self-protection. Her intense sexual experiences, love of reading, complicated family relationships, dark thoughts, humor, and moments of vulnerability reveal substantial emotional life underneath that frozen surface. Readers frequently discuss this metaphor because it helps unify an otherwise fragmented narrative. The question running underneath the book is whether someone can preserve absolute independence without also isolating herself from the experiences, attachments, and relationships that make life meaningful.

Why is Permafrost written in short fragments instead of a conventional chronological story?

Baltasar structures Permafrost as a sequence of brief memories, observations, experiences, fantasies, relationships, and reflections rather than a straightforward beginning-to-end narrative. Time moves freely as the narrator remembers childhood, lovers, family experiences, travel, work, books, and moments of psychological crisis. This fragmented construction places readers inside the narrator’s consciousness instead of asking them simply to follow external events. Her thoughts associate one experience with another according to emotion, sensation, memory, or imagery rather than strict chronology. Readers who prefer conventional plots may initially find this structure unusual, while those who enjoy character studies and poetic literary fiction often consider it one of the novel’s strengths. Baltasar was an established poet before publishing Permafrost, and that background is visible in the compressed language, physical imagery, rhythm, and attention to individual sensations. The result is a short novel that often reads with the density of poetry.

Is Permafrost a lesbian romance, or is it more about sexuality, independence, and identity?

The narrator is lesbian and relationships with women are central to her life, but Permafrost is not primarily a conventional romance novel. Readers should not expect one central couple progressing toward a traditional romantic conclusion. The narrator moves through sexual relationships, desire, attraction, intimacy, separation, and emotional distance while remaining deeply protective of her independence. Sex is described frankly and forms an important part of how she experiences pleasure and connection, but romantic commitment often creates tension because she fears being absorbed into conventional expectations. The novel is therefore better described as queer literary fiction concerned with sexuality, embodiment, autonomy, solitude, and identity. Baltasar also treats the narrator’s sexuality as an ordinary part of her existence rather than making the book primarily about discovering or defending a lesbian identity. Readers looking for unconventional queer fiction may find that aspect particularly distinctive.

What mature content or trigger warnings should readers know about before reading Permafrost?

Permafrost is written for adult readers and contains explicit sexual material, recurring thoughts about death and suicide, psychological distress, difficult family dynamics, and discussions of the body and sexuality. The narrator thinks about suicide repeatedly, although the book approaches these thoughts as part of her ongoing relationship with existence rather than turning them into a conventional thriller plot. There are also frank descriptions of sex between women and candid observations about desire, relationships, bodies, and emotional detachment. The narrator’s humor can be very dark, meaning serious subjects are sometimes presented in deliberately blunt or unexpected language. Readers sensitive to suicidal ideation or explicit sexuality should know about these elements beforehand. At the same time, the novel is not relentlessly bleak: its darkness is balanced by sharp comedy, sensuality, reading, travel, human connection, and the narrator’s intense awareness of physical life.

What themes does Permafrost explore besides sexuality?
The novel explores freedom, solitude, mortality, family expectations, motherhood, work, reading, travel, identity, intimacy, depression, embodiment, and the fear of becoming trapped in someone else’s version of adulthood. The narrator repeatedly changes locations and jobs because permanence itself can feel threatening. Her relationship with her mother highlights expectations concerning success and conventional stability, while her sister’s family life forces her to confront motherhood and responsibility from another angle. Books and reading provide another form of refuge, offering the narrator an interior space where she can temporarily withdraw from the demands of ordinary life. Baltasar also explores a recurring contradiction: the narrator wants freedom from emotional dependence but is still drawn toward sex, affection, beauty, and connection. This tension between self-protection and participation in life gives the novel much of its emotional power and helps explain why such a short book generates substantial discussion.
Is Permafrost difficult to read, and is it a good choice for someone new to literary fiction?
The novel is physically short—the And Other Stories English edition is approximately 144 pages—but its style can be more demanding than its length suggests. The sentences themselves are generally readable, yet the fragmented chronology, poetic imagery, unnamed narrator, dark humor, and abrupt shifts between memories require attentive reading. Readers accustomed to fast thrillers or strongly plot-driven novels may need time to adjust because Permafrost prioritizes voice, character, and language over conventional suspense. However, its brevity also makes it a manageable introduction to contemporary literary fiction. Julia Sanches’s English translation preserves the intensity and compressed quality associated with Baltasar’s Catalan prose. The novel received the 2018 Premi Llibreter from Catalan booksellers and was shortlisted for France’s Prix Médicis for Best Foreign Book, making it particularly attractive to readers interested in acclaimed translated and European fiction.
Is Permafrost by Eva Baltasar a premium edition at Bookish Wonderland?

Yes. Bookish Wonderland offers Permafrost as a premium edition for readers who want a comfortable and well-presented physical copy of this acclaimed work of translated literary fiction. Baltasar’s writing is compact and image-rich, so a clean printed edition is especially useful when readers want to slow down, revisit individual passages, or notice recurring images and connections between apparently separate fragments. The book is suitable for readers of literary fiction, queer literature, translated fiction, contemporary European writing, and psychologically intense character studies. Its relatively short length also makes it a strong choice for book clubs or readers who want a brief novel with substantial material for discussion. The physical production is designed to make both first-time reading and later rereading comfortable while providing a durable addition to a personal literary collection.

What is the paper and print quality of Permafrost from Bookish Wonderland?

The Bookish Wonderland edition uses premium eye-soothing cream paper paired with crystal-clear printing. The softer cream-toned surface offers comfortable contrast for readers who spend extended periods concentrating on Baltasar’s dense, poetic prose. Sharp printing keeps punctuation, paragraph breaks, dialogue, and the novel’s short fragments easy to distinguish, which matters because the structure depends heavily on subtle transitions between memories, observations, physical sensations, and present experience. The quality paper also gives the relatively compact book a smoother and more refined physical feel. Readers who like annotating literary fiction or returning to memorable passages can benefit from an edition in which the text remains consistently sharp and comfortable to follow. The combination of readable print and quality pages makes the copy suitable for leisure reading, literary study, book-club discussion, or permanent shelf storage.

How durable is the binding of Permafrost from Bookish Wonderland?

Permafrost comes with high-quality stitched and glue binding designed for longevity. The stitched construction reinforces the page block while adhesive adds further support, helping the pages remain securely attached through repeated reading, carrying, lending, and shelving. This durability is useful for a literary novel such as Permafrost because its fragmented structure encourages rereading. Readers may return to earlier scenes after reaching the ending, compare recurring images, or revisit passages dealing with family, lovers, mortality, and the narrator’s metaphorical emotional “permafrost.” Frequent reopening can quickly weaken cheaply constructed books, particularly around heavily revisited sections. Stronger binding helps the physical copy tolerate that repeated handling. Combined with durable cream paper and clear printing, the construction makes the edition suitable for book collectors, students, reading groups, and anyone building a long-term collection of translated or queer literature.

Why should I buy Permafrost by Eva Baltasar from Bookish Wonderland in Bangladesh?

Bookish Wonderland provides a convenient way to buy Permafrost by Eva Baltasar and other premium English and translated books in Bangladesh. This edition combines premium eye-soothing cream paper, crystal-clear printing, and high-quality stitched and glue binding, making it suitable for literary-fiction readers, students, queer-literature readers, book clubs, and collectors of international fiction. Cash on Delivery is available across Bangladesh, allowing customers to place an order and pay when the book arrives. Delivery is available both inside and outside Dhaka, while customers in Dhaka can request fast or urgent delivery when available. Bookish Wonderland maintains a large collection of premium and durable English books across translated literature, contemporary fiction, classics, romance, philosophy, psychology, history, business, science, and many other categories, helping readers throughout Bangladesh build a diverse and lasting personal library.