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A Novel
by Morgana Kretzmann
No land is sacred in this cinematic breathtaking thriller, capturing a Brazilian community in crisis and the three women caught in the crossfire as an environmental tragedy unfolds in real time.
On the lush Brazil-Argentina border, whispers of greed run deep, finally having come to claim the last sanctuary. A hydroelectric dam promises destruction, threatening both the vibrant ecosystems of the Turvo State Park and the people who call it home. In her English debut, Morgana Kretzmann crafts a thriller like no other—weaving family drama, crime saga, and political conspiracy—that gathers irresistible momentum as it hurtles headlong toward its electrifying conclusion.
Park ranger Chaya refuses to stand by while her beloved land is razed. Her estranged cousin, Preta, a hardened leader, fights her own battle, walking a thin line between survival and poaching traditions. Then there's Olga, the prodigal journalist, burdened by guilt and the secrets she left behind. Their paths collide as the encroaching threat pulls them into a fierce battle against corrupt politicians, shadowy smugglers, and the ghosts of their shared history. As the colossal dam threatens to change the landscape forever, loyalties are tested, old rivalries flare, and allies arise in the unlikeliest places. And at the heart of it all, a family legacy, shrouded in myth and soaked in blood, surfaces with devastating consequences.
Echoing recent episodes in Brazilian history and written with the same intensity as the region's famous waterfalls, The Red Earth is a force of nature, a whirling torrent of drama, sisterhood, and sacrifice, opening a window into the lives and struggles of the communities that co-exist with nature in one of the last rainforest reserves in Brazil.
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This information about The Red Earth 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.
Morgana Kretzmann was born in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, on the border with Argentina, and currently lives in São Paulo. She is a writer and screenwriter. In 2021, she won the São Paulo Literature Prize with her debut novel, To Dust. She is also the author of the acclaimed ecological novel The Red Earth, published by Companhia das Letras and quickly sold to Germany, France, the United States, and Latin America. Kretzmann worked as one of the screenwriters for a Disney series that deals with environmental issues. She graduated from the extension course in Cinematographic Screenwriting at PUC-RIO and also holds a degree in Environmental Management from the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina, with her final project focused on the importance of literature in addressing urgent environmental issues.
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