Clarification for PDF Seekers: First, a vital note: On the Honeymoon is not a novel , but a short story (approx. 20-30 pages). It appears in Marías’ collection When I Was Mortal ( Cuando fui mortal ). If you search for a standalone PDF titled On the Honeymoon , you will likely find either the complete collection or an excerpt. Ensure you are getting the full story, often included in anthologies of Spanish literature in translation (translated by Margaret Jull Costa).

A married couple is on their honeymoon in Venice. The husband narrates. They encounter a mysterious, flirtatious woman he claims to have known briefly years ago. Over a single afternoon and evening, the husband’s obsessive, paranoid speculations about this woman and his wife’s reactions unravel the fragile reality of their new marriage. The “action” is almost entirely internal—a masterclass in suspicion and psychological dread.

If you want a story that will haunt your own relationships with doubt, download the collection—but be prepared to feel very uncomfortable on the next honeymoon you attend.