He tells the truth about his relationship with his teacher in a rewritten book: “It is a vindication of my real history with this person”

Twelve years after the first edition of “There is a girl in my soup”, Silvia Núñez del Arco launches a reissue (or rewriting) of his novel about the story of Lucía and her teacher Alicia. This time, it was told truthfully and with the heart exposed, as an emotional catharsis, seeking to heal her wounds.

“It is also a vindication of my real history with this person because as time passed I felt that I was not giving him the place that I could have given him. And I understand that she may have felt disappointed at the time. The idea now is to heal, but above all to tell the story as it really was and give it the respect it deserves.”, he points out.

‘There’s a girl in my soup. The real story’ (Planeta, 2023) is written from scratch, Núñez del Arco Vidal clarifies. The plot is now focused on Lucía’s family problems and on the loving-maternal relationship that she developed with her German teacher, a woman much older than her.

“When Lucía’s school changes and she is somehow lost because she is beginning her adolescence and does not have a close mother to whom she can confide her stories, this attractive teacher appears with a mysterious air and who, in addition, looks at her. And Lucía, for the first time she feels someone looking at her. She’s attracted to him because he’s the motherly figure she’s looking for from her or perhaps because she’s confused, and he’s more than that to her. She left it up to the reader to draw her own conclusions in that regard.”, clarifies the writer.

Another look

According to Silvia, the protagonist of her story did not like the original version and she hopes that this new installment, told from a more mature, respectful and true perspective, will be to your liking.

“He told me that he didn’t like it because it put a lot of fiction and made things happen that didn’t really happen. For example, that she got involved with the school principal. And that never happened, And this ambiguity (about her sexuality) that she left open I somehow felt too. In that sense, I like the book because it shows that not all relationships have to have a name. It could be a friendship, a courtship or a love,” explains Jaime Bayly’s partner. “And I hope you like this version because I wrote it with love and respect. I will send you a book to read,” she assures.

Núñez del Arco published his first novel in 2010, “What Others Don’t See”, at the age of 21. This reissue of “There’s a Girl in the Soup” is her sixth publication. Her next book will be inspired by her childhood.

“I want to write until the last day of my life because it is my vocation. Each book is a great joy, it is confirmation that I have value. I definitely have a long way to go as a writer, but I’m very happy with my progress and how I’m handling things. Jaime always asks me when I will start my next book. But I still don’t feel ready to sit down and write about my childhood.”, he asserts.

With emotionally absent parents, Silvia grew up lacking affection. Her German teacher played a fundamental role in that stage of her life.

“I grew up feeling that what happened to me at the family level was normal. I don’t want to judge my parents, or sound like I’m complaining about them, because I think they did the best they could with what they had at the time, emotionally. I never had economic deficiencies, but I did have emotional ones.”, he clarifies.

Unforgettable day

After that February 7, 2010, the day Jaime Bayly presented her as his romantic partner on national television, Núñez del Arco’s life was never the same. Faced with the siege of the press, the writer, she remembers, had to leave her house and take refuge in a hotel using a name that was not hers.

“He was 20 years old. We hate the consequences that presentation brought. I left the interview and nothing was the same. We were brave. It was a way to tell the world that love is not conventional, that it can be scandalous in some way, and that does not mean it is bad.”, he assures.

“Many said that he was using me to be a presidential candidate and to be his first lady. Time took care of putting everything in order and proving that nothing that was said was true. Time passed and we are no longer the same. I became more modest, but Jaime encourages me not to be afraid, to tell the stories that really hurt me. We complete each other. And I don’t see myself being a mom again. We are happy with the routine that the three of us have, with Zoe”, he emphasizes.