Sonsoles Ónega does not overcome the criticism of his book: “I am not very sure that the critic read it, or did not find out”

Sonsoles Onega has spoken on Catalonia Radio about the impact that his latest novel has caused, The maid's daughters, between the public and specialized critics. The book, awarded the 2023 Planeta Prize, has received numerous criticisms since it was published, something that hurts the journalist, as she believes that there are those who rejected the story even before it was available in bookstores.

Ónega assures that he does not delve too deeply into either criticism or praise, which does not mean that bad comments do not hurt him. “I don't get too drunk on good (reviews), because I think praise weakens”he expressed, remembering the harshest review that his book has received so far, and that caused talk for days due to its extreme harshness: the one that was published in the newspaper The country, and what defined The maid's daughters as a work whose “sense of ridiculousness” was “suffocating”, “because of the plot, because of the style, because of its absolute nothingness”.

It hurt the presenter, “a lot”: “I did not know how to understand or identify the interests I served, and while I couldn't identify those interests, it baffled me, I like to have things clear and know who writes and why.”

Ónega affirms, in fact, that said criticism went beyond a simple review of his book. According to her, there was “something else” behind the terrible grade her book received. “From what they've been telling me, yes, since I haven't confirmed it, I won't tell it. But I think it exceeded the limits of what is strictly literary, Partly we're not going to break it down because I'm bored, but I'm not very sure that the critic read that book, or didn't find out,” she stated.

The book, which is based on a true story, took the presenter several years to write. “I'm always on the hunt for a good story, y The maid's daughters comes from a true story. I am based on the exchange of some girls in the nest of a hospital in La Rioja. It seemed to me that there was a novel there, so to address the story I tried to scratch it as a journalist, but the protagonists did not want to speak and the story almost died in the headline. But it seemed to me that there was a book there. The origin is in that real story. The rest is a job, investigating,” she told Informalia.

However, despite the enthusiasm that the author put into the novel – for which she received one million euros – her story did not receive the expected reception. For this reason, Ónega regretted “the ruthless criticism” and issued a warning: “Whoever says that they gave me the award because I work in television is wrong”the communicator even said a few days after the launch, since there are those who associate her jump to Atresmedia with the award.