Isabel Franc's 'No me llames cariño': Contesting Patriarchy in Spanish Lesbian Feminist Crime Fiction

Abstract

Isabel Franc's thought-provoking No me llames carino (2004) portrays a society where men who perpetrate domestic violence, subsequently succeed in evading the justice system, and run the risk of paying a very high price. By parodying the crime genre, the author provides an example of how lesbian detective fiction transgresses generic convention and draws the reader's attention to social injustices. In 2003, 50,088 women in Spain reported being victims of domestic violence at the hands of their partner or ex-partner. The vast majority of women fail to report such incidences. At least 417 women have died as victims of domestic violence in the last five years in Spain. Other deaths are not included: prostitutes, victims of sexual assault, cases of suicide and other alleged incidents.