Dua Lipa, the renowned pop star and creator of the influential newsletter Service95, continues to combine her passions for music, literature, and social advocacy. Lipa has made waves with her newsletter by recommending standout works and engaging directly with authors through her podcast. This month, her spotlight shines on Alana S. Portero’s evocative autobiographical novel, Bad Habit, which dives deep into the trans experience in post-Franco Spain.
Service95, a name derived from Lipa’s birth year, was conceived from her lifelong love of reading and her habit of recommending books to friends. Launched as a weekly newsletter, it includes various topics like fashion, art, politics, travel, and literature. The platform highlights these diverse subjects and features a podcast where Lipa interviews authors and artists, creating a vibrant dialogue around their works.
Alana S. Portero’s Bad Habit
Service95’s Book Club is dedicated to Bad Habit by Alana S. Portero this month. The novel has received high praise from Lipa, who first recommended it in her newsletter back in May. Now, it is the centrepiece of September’s literary focus.
Bad Habit offers a poignant and powerful account of Portero’s experiences growing up as a trans individual in Madrid during the 1980s and 90s. The book paints a vivid picture of the struggles and triumphs faced during a time when Spain was transitioning from the shadows of Franco’s dictatorship to a more open society.
Lipa’s admiration for Portero’s work is palpable. On Instagram, she shared her emotional response to Bad Habit, stating:
“I got actual chills when I read the opening scenes of this book. Beginning with her fallen angels – the boys who become junkies on the streets of San Blas – Alana S. Portero’s vivid portrait of a young trans girl growing up in 1980s Madrid had me hooked from the very first page.
“At its heart, Bad Habit is a beautiful story of someone coming to terms with who they are in an environment that doesn’t allow them to truly flourish. It’s about searching for – and finding in unexpected places – the people who help you grow. It’s a study on identity, love, and acceptance, at a time of Spain’s own coming of age after decades of Franco’s dictatorship.
“This is an important book, one that reminds us of the often painful and treacherous reality of growing up Trans. At times the story screams an almost unbearable loneliness. But it also soars with the euphoria that comes with finding your true self. You’ll delight in the fiendishly wicked sisterhood of the city’s street queens, outcasts, and misfits while singing your heart out to the sounds that spill out of the clubs and into the plazas. This is a book to savour. Enjoy every word.”
– Dua x
Bad Habit Review And Blurb
‘I urge you to read Bad Habit’ PEDRO ALMODÓVAR
‘An engulfing novel’ AVNI DOSHI
‘Believe the hype!’ OKECHUKWU NZELU
‘The book that everyone is reading’ NEW YORK TIMES
Beautifully written and told in an irresistible voice, Bad Habit is a powerfully moving coming-of-age novel following a young trans woman in 1980s Madrid.
An unnamed young trans woman grows up in a working-class suburb that has no place for her. She discovers community and kinship in downtown Madrid, amid a dazzling party scene animated by charming junkies, glamorous pop divas, and fallen angels. With each step she takes forward in the city, she finds herself confronted by an antagonism she does not yet know how to counter. In this thrilling and yet often frightening place each decision can have the highest of stakes and yet she knows that only she can forge a path forward to the life she truly wants to live.
Beautiful and deeply moving, Bad Habit by Alana S Portero is translated by Mara Faye Lethem, and deftly illuminates the search for identity and the power of chosen family. Bad Habit is an unforgettable story of self-realisation that speaks to the outsider in all of us.
‘A work of deep humility’ GUARDIAN
‘A revelation … made me weep more than once’ SABA SAMS
‘Infused with camp humour, pathos and the spirit of resilience’ AMELIA ABRAHAMS
‘Affecting and evocative’ OBSERVER
‘Painful yet unquestionably hopeful’ NICOLA DINAN
‘Portero’s elegant storytelling catches a celestial light’ ELOGHOSA OSUNDE
‘Leaves you stunned’ TRAVIS ALABANZA
‘Obliges the reader to hold back (or unleash) their feelings chapter after chapter’ VOGUE SPAIN
‘The most talked-about debut of the year’ TIME OUT SPAIN