Description

‘Beautiful prose, even-handed magic and all the pains and triumphs of intergenerational bonds’ KILEY REID, author of Such A Fun Age and Come and Get It

‘Undeniably beautiful’ Sunday Times

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides to throw her own living wake, her sisters are concerned. What has she foreseen?

Planning the celebration brings further complications for the Marte family, because Flor isn’t the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things, too. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own.

Family Lore traces the intertwining stories of five women: sisters and cousins, mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, to ask the ultimate question – what does it take to live a good life, for yourself and those you love?

Publisher Review

Acevedo is a master of time. Family Lore is full of beautiful prose, even-handed magic and all the pains and triumphs of intergenerational bonds. Tender, moving and altogether lovely. Not one word is wasted here -- KILEY REID, author of SUCH A FUN AGE An exuberant, polyphonic story of one family's reckoning with their past . . . Acevedo's background in spoken-word poetry shines through in the energy and lyricism of her prose . . . But the novel's greatest triumph is in the warmth of her portrayal of these women, their strength and stubbornness, and the inseparability of love and grief * * Observer * * There is potent magic in these pages, passed down through this lineage of powerful sisters who have captured my heart. How does Acevedo do it? Reading Family Lore is like an embrace, and I am filled with nostalgia for a family I have never had and could never have imagined -- RUTH OZEKI, author of THE BOOK OF FORM AND EMPTINESS An expansive story that follows three generations of the Marte family . . . [Family Lore] mixes the old-timey lyricism typical of the genre with a plethora of twenty-first-century references . . . [Acevedo's] writing is undeniably beautiful, overflowing with original turns of phrase and polished prose * * Sunday Times * * A labyrinthine tale of sisterhood and the chaos of love . . . the depth, grace and nuance Acevedo gives her characters is palpable; her love for these women comes through with arresting clarity . . . Pearls of magic and wisdom, hard but not hardened, the story of the Marte sisters is a treasure to behold * * New York Times Book Review * * The women's stories intertwine, establishing a fully realised family portrait with all the quirks, resentments and secrets that characterise it * * Daily Mail * * Acevedo expertly maneuvers through the complex and singular stories of each of these women and all that unites them. It was a joy to experience each character's expressive and gripping story; to acknowledge their truths and to recognise some of the women in the lives of women around me. A remarkable accomplishment -- ABI DARE, author of THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE Acevedo's treatment of magic as an everyday possibility is compelling but there is also magic in the wonder, surprise, frustrations, and joys the characters experience in their relationships with one another . . . her obsession with imagery, interiority and making every word count is what makes her descriptions and dialogue sing; her characters think and speak in voices that feel distinct and alive. * * TIME * * The most magnificent, intricate story of a family and a group of women . . . the perfect accompaniment for a long summer read. A magical, intergeneration story from an assured debut novelist . . . [a] beautiful book * * Glamour * * Flor is throwing herself a wake and reminding us that "even a long life is too short". So while we are here "let's eat, and dance, and be alive". Acevedo has written unforgettable characters who breathe new life into how we grieve, age, take care of each other. Family Lore is a big hearted novel, a wonderful debut! -- ANGIE CRUZ, author of DOMINICANA