Fluent in Spanglish // Hablo espanglés
Books that use the language itself as a narrative and literary device, switching from English to Spanish and back again in a variety of ways, from light sprinklings for flavor and atmosphere to requiring the reader to be functionally bilingual to fully understand. Suggestions always welcome!
created by ayzrules
last updated August, 2026
Comments
Information on each title (work in progress, see replies)
I’ve posted each title + description as a separate comment so that people can easily respond directly to my presentation of a book and add their own input, since I don’t think I’m necessarily the final authority on detailing the accessibility and/or providing analysis (especially since I’m not a native Spanish speaker)
I’m making a more concerted attempt to research these books in order to provide info for this List, even if I can’t manage to read all of them, so any and all input is helpful and appreciated 🙂↕️
ayzrulesOP
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - 17th century Spain. Mostly only uses Spanish for atmosphere and as a part of the writing style; includes a few moments where the Spanish phrasing is used as a rhetorical device and/or to further the thematic narrative
¡Qué maravilla leer eso!
Thank you for creating this list💖 Me da mucha felicidad ✨
Me alegra mucho que te guste 💖💕🫶❤️💗 I grew up in a multilingual environment and the power and impact of different languages has always been something I felt very deeply, so I’m just glad to be able to showcase that here 💝
Slow Lightning by Eduardo C. Corral - Poetry collection, about the author's chicano identity and personal experiences. Code-switches between Spanish and English throughout the poems; some poems use less Spanish, some have them almost 50-50 balanced. Would recommend having at least a basic understanding of Spanish and access to a dictionary while reading, though it isn't 100% necessary (imo)
Coser y Cantar by Dolores Prida - 1990s/modern NYC. Features two characters, She and Ella, who converse back and forth in English and Spanish as a demonstration of code-switching between not only two languages, but also two cultures. Requires understanding of Spanish at a casual/conversational level, lots of English is in there too which helps provide context/aid understanding; would recommend having at least a basic understanding of Spanish and access to a dictionary while reading
Note: this is a play, not a novel or book!
ayz this is an amazing list omg youve done it again!!! and i love to see bilingualism used as a literary device :’) it can be so powerful in narratives. i’ll def have to give some of these a read to flex my spanish muscles again !!
ayzrulesOP
YES I agree it’s such a powerful tool, and I love when books tap into it 🙏 is Spanish easier bc you already know Portuguese? Hehe
honestly it’s super helpful because the languages have so many cognates LMAOO i took three years of spanish in school so i had a decent background with grammar and what not, but whenever i forget something 9/10 times i’ll just use the portuguese equivalent and they’re either the same or similar enough that spanish speakers know what i mean 💀
oooo iconic omg I love that for you lmaooo this is kind of like when my aunt and uncle would write Chinese characters in Japan when they didn’t know the Japanese word 😭😂
is the grammar similar at all between spanish and portuguese?
your aunt and uncle are so real LMAO communicating thru writing seems effective af 🙂↕️
the grammar is highkey very similar! sentence structure and verb tenses are pretty comparable, just some tweaks with certain verb endings but it’s uniform in a sense. i’ve heard people say portuguese grammar is harder to learn after knowing spanish just because our vowels don’t always make the same sounds, we have multiple accents (á, à, ã, and â for example djdkdkdkd), and we have contractions that spanish doesn’t have - en la in portuguese is em a, but it contracts into na as another example dkdkdk. so i think it might be easier for me to pick up spanish then it would be vice versa just because of those weird complexities (not to mention where my parents are from has a very distinct accent and different slang so it gets really confusing for non natives djdjdjff). language is truly such a trip LMAO
graciasssss, sí mi español es surviving de mi classe en colegio over 15 años ago 😝
Suggestion for the list: Fortune's Kiss by Amber Clement it's a YA dark fantasy, think Squid Games but with two Latina Protagonists (I don't think the book directly says it's set in Ecuador, but that's the only Ciudad Milagro I could find).
ayzrulesOP
Ooooohhhhh omg that cover is stunning! I’ve added it, thank you 💕💕💕
Isabel Ibañez does this with her books! the secrets of the Nile duology follows an Argentinian FMC, so Spanish is sprinkled into the books (enough that I had to rely on high school spanish) and together we burn takes place in a fantastical version of Spain
ayzrulesOP
ooooooooo how cool omg, thank you! i added both
Oh wow I love this so much 🥹🥹 I love when books incorporate other languages to make things more immersive and descriptive, and I particularly love when it’s Spanish!! Definitely saving this list
Sometimes I wake up and realize I was dreaming in 2-3 different languages - I feel like it’s my brain doing this!
Gosh yes, you described that feeling so well 💗❤️ I love when books do it too! It adds such a unique flair and a whole separate dimension to the story
Oh, what a fun list! The idea of needing to be functionally bilingual to be able to read a book is fascinating! I don't think I've ever read a book that utilized two languages to that extent. I know that Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy has a sprinkling of spanish that adds a certain depth to the horror and the story if you understand it!
I feel like it’s the most supreme form of gatekeeping and it gives me a superiority complex when I can understand them 🙂↕️ /j LOL no for real it’s genuinely such a fascinating narrative and literary device to me! This is a bit of poetry from slow lightning on this list, it has haunted me since the day I read it in 2019, the intermingling of the languages is so cool
Thanks for the shout for blood meridian; I’ve added it!
Reading in one language at a time: Loser behavior. Peasant pastime.
Reading in TWO languages at once to maximize neuron activation: Actually SWAG. Basado and literaturapilled. /biggest J of my life please don't cancel me people.
I love the idea of an author joining two languages to further the reach in artistry of both of them, and I loved that little excerpt 🤩, the spanish adds an important layer of context to who these people are. The rolling of the rr's to start a car is so funny 😂, in some way, it reminds me of how I can't pray in english, either. Our hearts, our needs, and our longing take shape in one language from when we're young and don't let it go, so why not incorporate it into writing?
Sidenote: This list has made me even more eager to read All the Pretty Horses 🙂↕️
ayzrulesOP
😂 LMFAOOOO yes mucho swag, muy basado, finalmente some real fucking literatura 🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️
i totally get what you mean! sometimes the language we're used to from when we're young is the only way our brains can process certain concepts. and i'm super keen to read cormac mccarthy's work in general, it was cool to learn he uses spanish in his books!!
Mi friend la basada 🙂↕️ no gorra 💯🗣
So far I've only read Blood Meridian (which I definitely recommend, albeit with a HUGE content warning for everything under the sun for it), and I'm eager to read anything western from him again, but hopefully All The Pretty Horses is not as brutal and bleak 😭.
Me encanta esta lista!
Rec: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Another vote for Silvia Moreno-Garcia! Check out Isabel Allende (it's been a while since I read her works but she is fabulous and may have some that fit this list) Also Jorge Luis Borges but not sure he fits the prompt if some of his translated works just take out the Spanish
May I suggest Salt Bones by Jennifer Ghivan? Lots of spanglish in that one
ayzrulesOP
Oooh awesome, thanks so much! I've added!
OOH SAVING
ayz’s lists strike again- how do you know exactly what i need!!!
ayzrulesOP
eeee oh my gosh, so glad you like it!!! :D
Since the GR entry for Coser y Cantar has no info, here’s a description I pulled online:
Dolores Prida’s play Coser y Cantar examines the concept of identity experienced by those of us that live on the fence between two identities in the United States. Performed in both Spanish and English, depending on which character is speaking, the play allows the audience to fully absorb what it feels like to be composed of two cultures.
