Las Brujas de El Paso, Spanish-Language Edition of the Witches of El Paso - by Luis Jaramillo (Paperback)

About the Book

"A ... multigenerational tale of magic, sisterhood, and borders spanning centuries--from modern-day El Paso, to the 1940s, to 18th century colonial Mexico. It's 1943 in El Paso, Texas, and 18-year-old Nena spends her days caring for the infant children of her older sisters, while longing for a life of adventure and purpose. She also has a secret: her vivid premonitions are what's causing her to faint, and she fears she'll end up like the scary old curandera who lives down the street. When the mysterious and stern Sister Benedicta arrives late one evening, Nena is taken across borders of space and time for a life-changing experience in colonial Mexico"--

Book Synopsis

Una abogada y su anciana tía abuela utilizan sus dones supernaturales para encontrar a una niña perdida en esta "asombrosa novela que rompe los esquemas del género y trata de la magia que canta a nuestro alrededor" (Julia Phillips, autora de Dissapearing Earth), siguiendo la misma línea de La herencia de la orquídea divina y La hacienda.

Las brujas no existen, pero llegan cuando se las invoca.

1943, El Paso, Texas: Nena, una adolescente, pasa sus días a cargo de los bebés de sus hermanas mayores mientras anhela una vida de aventura. Las premoniciones y desmayos que ha tenido que soportar desde su infancia vienen empeorando, y a Nena le preocupa acabar como la vieja curandera que vive en su misma calle, y que atemoriza a todos. Reza pidiendo algún tipo de ayuda y, cuando una noche muy tarde se aparece sor Benedicta, Nena la seguirá para cruzar fronteras en el espacio y el tiempo. En el México de la Colonia, Nena llegará a dominar sus poderes, encontrará el amor y aprenderá que la magia siempre tiene un precio.

En el presente, Marta, la sobrina nieta de Nena, se esfuerza por mantener el equilibrio entre su trabajo como abogada en un despacho, sus hijos y el cuidado de su tía abuela de noventa y tres años. Cuando Marta accede a ayudarle a encontrar a la hija perdida que dejó en el pasado, se forja una fuerte conexión entre ambas. Los poderes sobrenaturales de Marta afloran, despertando nuevas posibilidades en ella, que amenazan la vida que ha construido hasta entonces.

A lawyer and her elderly great-aunt use their supernatural gifts to find a lost child in this "wild, wondrous novel about the magic that is singing all around us" (Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth)--in the vein of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and La Hacienda.

If you call to the witches, they will come.

1943, El Paso, Texas: teenager Nena spends her days caring for the small children of her older sisters and longing for a life of adventure. The premonitions and fainting spells she has endured since childhood are getting worse, and Nena worries she'll end up like the scary old curandera down the street. Nena prays for help, and when the mysterious Sister Benedicta arrives late one night, Nena follows her across the borders of space and time. In colonial Mexico, Nena grows into her power, finding love and learning that magic always comes with a price.

In the present day, Nena's grandniece, Marta, balances a struggling legal aid practice with motherhood and the care of the now ninety-three-year-old Nena. When Marta agrees to help search for a daughter Nena left in the past, the two forge a fierce connection. Marta's own supernatural powers emerge, awakening her to new possibilities that threaten the life she has constructed.

"Sexy, smart, and soulful, Luis Jaramillo's The Witches of El Paso pulls us across borders and time to get to the essence of what it means for families to survive this beautiful, fractured world" (Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk).

Review Quotes

"Jaramillo's debut novel strikingly portrays a family's unrelenting love and survival across borders, generations, and adversity with vivid descriptions of El Paso, Juarez, and the supernatural. Fans of Isabel Cañas, Zoraida Córdova, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia who enjoy historical fiction and subtle fantasy will devour this book."--Booklist

"Jaramillo's atmospheric prose conjures the dusty El Paso of the past, and depictions of La Vista vibrate with 'colorful knots of waves, ' glowing indigo, maroon, and bright pink, yielding 'a wild spell, like yeast in the air.' This riveting page-turner affirms the adage, 'Family stories teach us how to live. Family secrets teach us to kill parts of ourselves.'

"Gripping and cinematic, the novel's worlds of El Paso past and present will bewitch and enrapture."--Kirkus (starred review)

"Gorgeous and thrilling, The Witches of El Paso casts a revelatory spell. I didn't want it to end."--R. O. Kwon, Bestselling author of Exhibit and The Incendiaries

"Luis Jaramillo weaves a captivating tale of family, tradition, and the enduring power of love. His vivid prose and intriguing plot make his novel hard to put down!"--Reyna Grande, author of A Ballad of Love and Glory

"Sexy, smart and soulful, Luis Jaramillo's The Witches of El Paso pulls us across borders and time to get to the essence of what it means for families to survive this beautiful, fractured world."--Mira Jacob, national bestselling author of Good Talk

"Spanning borders and centuries, The Witches of El Paso is a wild, wondrous novel about the magic that is singing all around us. With this story, Luis Jaramillo shows us how to catch the tune."--Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth, an international bestseller and National Book Award Finalist

About the Author

Luis Jaramillo es autor de Las brujas de El Paso y también del galardonado libro de cuentos The Doctor's Wife. Sus escritos se han publicado en medios como Literary Hub, BOMB Magazine, Los Angeles Review of Books, entre otros. Es profesor asistente de Escritura Creativa en The New School. Estudió la licenciatura en Stanford University, y una Maestría en Bellas Artes en The New School. Más información en el sitio web LuisJaramillo.com.