Discontent
Spain

Discontent

by Beatriz Serrano

Society & Class Literary Fiction Contemporary Fiction Fiction 2023

Summary

Marisa appears to have everything she should want: a beautiful apartment in central Madrid, a promising career at an advertising agency, and a convenient arrangement with her attractive neighbour. In reality, she despises her job, finds her colleagues unbearable, and struggles to discover any meaning in her carefully constructed life. She spends her working hours hiding from coworkers, watching YouTube videos, and taking tranquillizers to cope with the relentless monotony of corporate existence. Her carefully maintained professional image, built partly on lies and other people’s work, begins to crumble when she is forced to attend a company team-building retreat. Surrounded by manipulative bosses, irritating colleagues, and artificial attempts at bonding, Marisa approaches a personal breaking point. Through biting humour and uncomfortable honesty, Beatriz Serrano captures the alienation of a generation that followed society’s promises of success only to find itself exhausted and unfulfilled. Discontent is a darkly comic exploration of workplace burnout, loneliness, and the desperate desire to escape a life that looks successful from the outside but feels empty within.

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Country
Spain
Europe
About the author
Beatriz Serrano
Beatriz Serrano

Beatriz Serrano (born 1989) is a Spanish writer and journalist known for her sharp observations of contemporary culture, workplace dissatisfaction, and the emotional struggles of millennials. Based in Madrid, she has written for prominent publications including El País, Vanity Fair, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue. Her journalism often examines modern lifestyles, social expectations, and the contradictions of contemporary urban life. Serrano made her literary debut with El descontento (Discontent), published in 2023. The novel received considerable attention in Spain for its darkly humorous portrayal of corporate culture, professional burnout, and existential frustration. In 2024, she published her second novel, Fuego en la garganta, which became a finalist for the prestigious Premio Planeta. Alongside her writing, Serrano co-directs the award-winning Spanish podcast Arsénico Caviar with writer Guillermo Alonso. Her work is characterised by incisive social criticism, sardonic humour, and a keen understanding of the anxieties and disillusionment shaping contemporary life.

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Details
Published
2023
Author
Beatriz Serrano