First published 2025
Emilia del Valle grows up in San Francisco knowing little about her Chilean father, who abandoned her pregnant Irish mother in 1866. Raised by a loving stepfather, she defies convention by writing pulp fiction under a male pseudonym at sixteen, then convinces the San Francisco Examiner to hire her as a journalist. Partnered with fellow reporter Eric Whelan, Emilia proves her skills but yearns for greater adventure. When civil war erupts in Chile, she seizes the chance to cover the conflict and travel to the land of her father's origins. In Chile, she begins uncovering the truth about her aristocratic father while navigating the dangers of war. As violence escalates around her, Emilia faces critical choices about her identity and future, torn between her American upbringing and her Chilean heritage, between safety and truth, between independence and love.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, coming-of-age, biographical-fiction
Vibes: adventurous, atmospheric, emotionally-complex, introspective, thought-provoking
Tropes: dual-heritage, fish-out-of-water, found-family, self-discovery
Setting: San Francisco, Chile, Ireland
Period: 1866, 19th century, Chilean civil war
287 pages · Paperback · Bloomsbury
Content warnings: violence, war