First published 2020
Cleopatra works as a sex worker in a Buenos Aires slum when the Virgin Mary appears before her. She abandons her former life and begins transforming her shantytown into something resembling paradise. Word spreads about this miraculous change, and ambitious journalist Quity arrives to cover what she believes will be the story of her career. The government watches nervously as corrupt police, drug dealers, thieves, and mafia members navigate this shifting landscape. Quity expects to write her article and leave, but Cleopatra proves more compelling than anticipated. The journalist finds herself drawn deeper into this makeshift utopia and the woman who created it. The novel moves between moments of violence and absurdity, never softening the harsh realities of poverty while finding unexpected humor in desperate circumstances.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, magical-realism, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Period: 21st-century
147 pages · Paperback · Charco Press
Content warnings: violence