Social media, desire, and power: what Clara Queraltó's novel reveals

A 19-year-old woman discovers the desire she generates in someone twice her age. This is Gabriela, who in this story becomes somewhat addicted to satisfying that impulse generated by Quim. He is a man who allows himself to be seduced, once again, and who seeks that kind of connection where he can exercise "his power." This isn't the first time he's done it. And this is a decision that gives power to the narrative. Clara Queraltó wrote Like a Heartbeat in the Microphone , published by Anagrama, with this tension as its axis.

The novel raises more questions than answers . It's uncomfortable. It avoids the attempt to adopt a specific position. No one is attached to a character. There are no good or bad people, just complex and vulnerable people.

The fiction debates, above all, desire and consent in a story told from two perspectives moving in opposite directions: Gabriela's and Quim's. A literary challenge that the author could have lost ground with because it was akin to telling the story twice. However, the tension is sustained until the last page.

"In the end, there are no objective facts; it depends on how each person experiences the relationship. I wanted the reader to continually rethink the characters' situation. To bring them into that experience without judgment or moral lessons ," she explains. In this story, nothing is left out. Everything is questionable. A place the author believes belongs to contemporary literature: to break and open rather than close.

“I think ideologies don't fit well in literature . If I wanted to give my opinion on something, I'd write an essay. Literature is the place to go to make people uncomfortable, to put the reader in places they don't expect, and to constantly rethink what they think. When the creator's ideology is clearly visible, I'm disinterested because it pleases you in a shallow way,” he maintains.

In Like a Heartbeat in a Microphone , the narrating glances are nothing alike . Gabriela's construction is that of a young woman immersed in fascination. "When you really like someone, it seems strange that not everyone likes them. You don't see their flaws. Nothing is pure," she reflects.

The author confesses that she also wanted Quim's vulnerability to be seen, despite being aware that he desired a young woman. "He's an ambiguous character who takes care of grandparents in a boarding house, but who also lies to his friends. A complex man, with both bright and dark sides, like we all have," she points out. These are the contradictions of the characters that place you in a gray area. Deep down, both are vulnerable: she believing herself to be empowered when, really, she is? And he with his inner child completely wounded.

In the middle, the desire they both share. Judgeable? "It's undeniable that feminism has served to expose abuses and power relations. And this relationship with such a large age gap, romanticized until recently, is a relationship of this kind. It follows fixed patterns that are interesting to express," the author believes.

But it goes further; it poses a moral dilemma . It's Gabriela who pursues and persists until she succeeds. "I wanted to escape the familiar pattern of the typical teacher or boss who seeks out a situation. She's the one who freely chooses, old enough to go to jail, and not the typical macho strategist," she clarifies.

This break allows her to play. She moves away from a protective view of "what you want isn't right." There are no right or wrong desires. You can enter into an unequal relationship. "My idea was always that the only thing that existed was the age difference."

Clearly, there's a genuine part of desire, whose origins are unknown, but there's another part that's culturally constructed. As Queraltó suggests, "We also desire because we were told to desire so-and-so. That's why I wanted her to take the initiative."

Desire opens the fan, multiplies the gaze . In the book clubs, and according to the writer, opinions are diverse: from that he's a psychopathic predator, to that there's true love between them, to that she's a gold digger. Anything goes. In the end, the important thing is to be able to question oneself.

As part of the research process, Queraltó read several essays and articles by the thinker Clara Serra , including The Meaning of Consent , which explains that consent and desire cannot be confused.

“ Sometimes we consent to relationships we don't want, and we desire relationships we don't consent to. What can be violated is consent, never desire, which is very elusive and was the big issue. Consent in the story is crystal clear; Gabriela's will is very firm. She takes responsibility for seeking it. That's not up for debate,” he affirms.

However, the controversy surrounding this matter of consent served him well, because sometimes puritanical thoughts lead to less freedom when it comes to desire. And at the same time, desires can be terrible, even violent.

“Sometimes you're not clear about what you want. And sometimes you only know what you want when you're actually doing it, so you haven't been able to agree on it beforehand,” she explains, adding: “I agree with Serra that consent can't resolve all the discomfort surrounding sex .”

Other interesting topics in the book are social media and cell phone use . These are key topics today when people connect with others. At the beginning of the book, Gabriela searches for him on social media and sends him suggestive audio clips via WhatsApp, trying to capture his attention. She feels empowered by these strategies. And without knowing him well, she already knows things about him.

The line between what's allowed and what's forbidden is becoming increasingly blurred with today's devices. "What's changed the most is that kids have a phone in their hands all day long . We can't control what's on there," says the author, who works with 11-year-olds.

This is clearly seen in the highly successful Netflix series Adolescence . " I'm puzzled by what my students tell me about the photos they post when we go on field trips. I always wonder: Are they empowered and want to show themselves that way, or are they the most enslaved by the patriarchy because they know that showing themselves that way is what generates desire?" she emphasizes. This is reflected in the book: Gabriela's Supposed Empowerment.

The author sets the story in a small town in Catalonia , where parties often bring together people of wide age ranges, with children, teenagers, young adults, adults, and grandparents all sharing the same space. But beyond that, the use of cell phones in this story is central because it intensifies, brings people closer, accelerates, and even eroticizes the experience.

When the author is approached and asked about the place of fantasy and the forbidden in contemporary novels, she immediately speaks of the importance of seduction in a world where relationships are increasingly fluid . “Once I have what I want, that's it. The charm lies in the mystery, in what you don't know, in what can happen. The unknown generates a lot of interest in literature and in life itself.”

Like a heartbeat in the microphone , by Clara Queraltó (Anagrama).