by Janet Peery
First published 1997
Luisa Cantu carries the consequences of an ancient fertility ritual when she crosses from her Sierra Madre village into Texas. She finds work as a housemaid in the Rio Grande Valley, serving Mrs. Eddie Hatch, a strong-willed woman whose narrow view of the world clashes with Luisa's own experiences. The two women circle each other in a relationship that shifts between the mystical and the practical, between moments of levity and deep seriousness. Their interactions expose how people inflict pain on one another, even as they struggle to understand love and sacrifice. Through their connection, both women confront the question of whether forgiveness can bridge the gaps between different worlds and ways of being.
Genres: domestic-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, magical-realism, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: clash-of-cultures, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Sierra Madre, Texas, Rio Grande Valley
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
304 pages · Paperback · Picador