Written by Wena Poon. In contemporary Spain bullfighting is in decline, squeezed by recession and overshadowed by the threat of being banned. It's a bad time for anyone to want to be a matador, let alone a girl, and an American girl at that.

Unfortunately, Alejandra 'Alex' Herrera has wanted to do little else since she was a child. She seeks the help of Roberto de la Torre, a young and famous matador. Among the things they have in common: their grandfathers were friends and matadors who both perished in the bullring in 1959.

Alex flies from Austin to Valencia. The University of Texas believes she's attending a Spanish study programme but Alex has other plans, and sets off for San Martin: hometown of her matador grandfather.

Some bullfighting terms:
torero - bullfighter
faena - the third and final act of a bullfight, in which the red cape and the sword are used
banderilleros - the men who place colorful darts on the bull, in the second act of the bullfight

Wena Poon is the author of Alex y Robert and three other books of literary fiction: Lions In Winter, The Proper Care of Foxes, and The Biophilia Omnibus. Winner of the 2010 Willesden Herald Prize in England, she has been twice nominated for the Frank O'Connor Award in Ireland. Her books have also been shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize, the Readers' Choice Awards in Malaysia, and voted Best Book Gift of the Year by CNN Singapore. A freelance journalist and a corporate lawyer, Poon is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School.

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne
Read by Lorelei King

Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4. Show less