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An arrestingly beautiful, award-winning novel about separation, migration, and love left behind.
Alone and adrift in Barcelona, an unnamed narrator is haunted by the death of her teenage brother, Diego. Diego, the little boy she helped raise in Mexico while their mother struggled to make a living in Spain. Diego, who loved Vampire Weekend and dreamed of becoming a pilot. Diego, who hated Madrid as much as she did.
Now, his ashes in hand, she must return to Mexico. Plagued by memories, she recounts their young lives leading up to tragedy in blistering detail: the acute loneliness that accompanied their emigration; the siblings' first separation, when she left for Barcelona to make her own way in the world; her activism against labor abuses, which is threatened by her tumultuous relationship with an entitled lover; and the final, heavyhearted confrontation with her brother. Caught between rage and heartbreak over the loss of Diego, she pieces together a story of alienation, but also of surprising courage and hope.
Masterfully translated by Megan McDowell, and shot through with flashes of dark humor, Eating Ashes boldly confronts both the intimate and systemic struggles faced by migrants striving to build a life worth living. Already an international sensation across Europe, this novel cements Brenda Navarro as a breathtakingly unique and vital voice in literature.
"While Navarro is broadly interested in themes of immigration and the colonial legacy, the novel is firmly rooted in the specific, palpable lives of her characters, which she renders with nuance and honesty...A sensitive portrayal of sibling love, grief, and the trauma of dislocation." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"McDowell's translation is lyrical and powerful... [Eating Ashes] is a vivid, visceral, and impactful novel." ―Booklist
"A brilliant new voice, eviscerating and propulsive." ―Miriam Toews, author of Women Talking
"One of the best-kept secrets of Mexican literature." ―Fernanda Melchor, author of the International Booker Prize–shortlisted Hurricane Season
"An author who knows that behind all affection lies hidden danger." ―Yuri Herrera, author of Signs Preceding the End of the World
This information about Eating Ashes 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.
Brenda Navarro is one of the most critically acclaimed authors in the Spanish language. Eating Ashes won the Cálamo and CEGAL prizes and was a finalist for the Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial Novel Prize. Originally from Mexico, she lives in Madrid.
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