INVISIBLE

In this translated work from Spain, interwoven storylines tell of a boy’s journey to invisibility and back.

The unnamed protagonist, who’s in his first year of junior high, wakes up in a hospital bed, panicked that he no longer has his superpower of invisibility. Elsewhere in the city, Kiri is filled with rage and impotence: “It’s been five days since she began seeing life in a blur, as though she were wearing glasses covered in tears she can’t wipe away.” These past five days, a boy named Zaro has been feeling remorseful, and another child, MM, “is more afraid than ever before in his entire life, but he won’t admit it.” The narrative tightens, circling around months of relentless cruelty at school that led to a breaking point. When friends looked away and adults failed to address his plight, the boy at the heart of the story truly began to believe he was invisible: The thought that others could see his pain yet did nothing to help him was unbearable. The only person who’s always seen him is his 6-year-old sister, Luna; her steadfast recognition makes a crucial difference. This beautifully written, psychologically astute tale has a cryptic opening that draws readers in while the mysterious storytelling holds them rapt. Moreno avoids any hint of preachiness while untangling the strings of this deeply touching story.

A haunting and intricate condemnation of bullying that unfurls to reveal pain—and love.