Mothers remain quiet: #MeTooInceste or the silence against sexual abuse in works by Latin American female narrators

Abstract

At a time when #MeTooInceste has burst into feminist debates and contemporary literature, this paper analyses a recurring trope in recent Latin American narrative written by women: the silence of mothers in the face of child sexual abuse. To do so, firstly, it outlines a theoretical-critical overview of the relationship between motherhood, abuse and violence that serves to adequately frame this phenomenon. Secondly, it explores the counter-hegemonic modes of maternity and motherhood in the novels Nefando (2016), by Mónica Ojeda (Ecuador, 1988), Temporada de huracanes (2017), by Fernanda Melchor (Mexico, 1982), and Por qué volvías cada verano (2018) by Belén López Peiró (Argentina, 1992).