First published 1999
Twelve-year-old Sierva María de Todos los Santos, the neglected daughter of a decaying aristocratic family in colonial Colombia, is bitten by a rabid dog. When her condition is misinterpreted as demonic possession, she is confined to a convent, her fate controlled by religious authorities and superstitious beliefs. A young priest, Father Cayetano Delaura, becomes obsessed with her case—drawn to her wild spirit and resistance. As Sierva María's life hangs in the balance, the boundary between illness, spirituality, and passion blurs. Her survival depends on understanding whether her condition is medical, supernatural, or something more complex. At its heart, this is a story of forbidden connection in a world determined to contain and control.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, magical-realism, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-love
Setting: Macondo
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
160 pages · Paperback · Random House Value Publishing