First published 2025
Ruth abandons her disappointing New York life and returns to Panajachel, a Guatemalan lake town where she once found happiness. Ten years have passed, but the place still calls to her. She decides to stay and rebuild her life there. Ruth takes work as a nanny for a wealthy family, then teaches English at a village school. Two women enter her world. Emilie offers steadiness and practical wisdom. Carmen brings chaos and magnetic appeal. Ruth finds herself drawn deeper into Carmen's orbit, neglecting the solid foundation Emilie represents. Carmen's grip on reality begins to loosen and fracture. Ruth watches her friend's relationship with the world break apart. The crisis forces Ruth to confront what it means to be an outsider trying to belong. She must choose between the intoxicating pull of Carmen's troubled intensity and the grounding force of Emilie's calm presence. The decision will determine not just her future in Guatemala, but her understanding of home itself.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, adult, adult-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, contemplative, emotionally-complex, intimate, introspective
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, love-triangle, unreliable-relationships
Setting: Panajachel, Guatemala, New York
Period: contemporary, 21st-century
224 pages · Paperback · University of Queensland Press
Content warnings: mental-illness