by Gayl Jones
First published 2023
A photographer in South America captures more than images when political tensions rise around her. A playground designer questions her work while navigating unexpected desires. A cartoonist finds her art intersecting with dangerous political movements. A barista discovers connections between coffee and revolution that change her understanding of her place in the world. These women and men, Black, Brown, and Indigenous, move through contemporary and historical settings from Mexico to the United States. Each character grapples with identity in a multiracial society where personal longings clash with political realities. The collection opens with two longer works, "Butter" and "Sophia," then moves through ten shorter pieces that range from hyperrealistic portraits to mystical fragments. Jones writes about workers and spies, environmentalists and filmmakers, all searching for their place in a complex world. The stories reveal how love, art, and revolution intertwine in unexpected ways.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, american-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, activism
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, intersecting-lives, personal-vs-political
Setting: Mexico, South America, United States
Period: Contemporary
192 pages · Hardcover · Virago Press Ltd