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A Novel
by Jaquira Díaz
From the Whiting Award-winning author Jaquira Diaz, an epic novel of a mother and daughter wrestling with the aftermath of a murder, set against the backdrop of a tightknit, working-class barrio in Puerto Rico.
When Maricarmen meets Rey el Cantante, beloved small-time Robin Hood and local musician on the rise, she begins to envision a life beyond the tight-knit community of el Caserío, Puerto Rico – beyond cleaning houses, beyond waiting tables, beyond the constant tug of war between the street hustlers and los camarones. But breaking free proves more difficult than she imagined, and she soon finds herself struggling to make a home for herself, for Rey, his young brother Tito, and eventually, their daughter Nena. Until one fateful day changes everything.
Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation as the community that once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Now Nena, a teenager haunted by loss and betrayal and exploring her sexual identity, must learn to fight for herself and her family in a world not always welcoming. For lovers of the Neapolitan novels, This is the Only Kingdom is an immersive and moving portrait of a family – and a community – torn apart by generational grief, and a powerful love letter to mothers, daughters, and the barrios that make them.
"Díaz writes beautifully about grief, identity, addiction, family, and the blurry line between myth, truth, and history. A sweeping and touching debut about love, generational trauma, and complex mother-daughter relationships." —Kirkus Reviews
"Diaz's first novel powerfully highlights the desperation of lives lived on the edge even as rays of hope sometimes peek through...YAs will appreciate the nuanced layers of this lively story set in a time and place where children grow up much too quickly." —Booklist
"This is an extraordinary debut! Jaquira Díaz delivers a haunting meditation around the painful bonds of family and immerses readers in a world where the echoes of the past shape the future in devastating ways. A poignant, mesmerizing read that cements Díaz as a writer to be reckoned with."―Angie Cruz, author of How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water
"With stirring prose and an unflinching gaze, Jaquira Díaz viscerally renders one family's origin story against the backdrop of Miami and Puerto Rico of the recent past— familiar to some, forgotten to many. This is The Only Kingdom is a look into dark social truths that one woman must face as a young matriarch, fighting for her family's survival. Yet Díaz offers up no tragedy here, but a light through her daughter, who conjures up not just a fierce will to survive, but to thrive— as her fullest and whole self— reminding us that this life must be worth living to its fullest and truest." ―Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming
This information about This Is the Only Kingdom was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Born in Puerto Rico, Jaquira Díaz was raised between Humacao, Fajardo, and Miami Beach. She is the author of Ordinary Girls: A Memoir, winner of a Whiting Award, a Florida Book Awards Gold Medal, a Lambda Literary Awards finalist, an American Booksellers Association Indies Introduce Selection, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads pick, and finalist for the B&N Discover Prize.
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