Description

‘Stunning… An energetic and harrowing new voice.’ Miriam Toews, author of Women Talking

Winner of the Calamo Award for the best book published in Spain in 2022

Winner of the Madrid Bookstores Association Award for the best book published in Spain in 2022

Winner of Todos tus libros Bookstores Spanish Association Award for the best book published in Spain in 2022

Winner of Arcebispo Juan de San Clemente Award for the best book published in Spanish language in Spain in 2023

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The multi-award winning literary phenomenon, translated by Booker Prize-shortlisted Megan McDowell

Six seconds. A man falling. An image that haunts her forever.

Returning to the Mexico of their childhood, Diego’s sister is plagued with questions, beset with crippling grief and guilt. As she struggles to get her head and her heart around her brother’s death, she sees the life they shared anew. Here she tells their story: that of the poor, the exploited, the outsider far from home, with quiet power and vibrant prose. As she does so, she asks herself how well she really knew the boy she tried so hard to raise. And what, in the end, makes a life worth living?

Rippled through with flashes of dark humour, Eating Ashes is a heartbreaking examination of home, of loneliness and belonging, separation and loss, from a critically acclaimed Latin American novelist.

Publisher Review

‘Stunning…an energetic and harrowing new voice.’ Miriam Toews, author of Women Talking ‘One of the best-kept secrets of Mexican literature.’ Fernanda Melchor, author of International Booker-Prize shortlisted Hurricane Season ‘A tender story about how our families and places of origin shape and warp and rattle us, yet still resist comprehension. Brenda Navarro writes with wide open eyes and a relentless desire to understand.’ Catherine Lacey, author of Pew ‘A vivid, visceral, and impactful novel… McDowell’s translation is lyrical and powerful.’ Booklist ‘A sensitive portrayal of sibling love, grief, and the trauma of dislocation.’ Kirkus (starred review) ‘Furious and feline… The first real masterpiece in our language in 2022.’ El Mundo ‘A devastating story… Completely addictive.’ Esquire ‘A writer who pulls us along with the irreparable violence of her writing in order to make us understand that everyone is free (or should be) to choose their own redemption. And nothing can be more fair and admirable in this life that is neither fair nor admirable.’ Los Libreros Recomiendan ‘Brenda Navarro writes masterfully and there is lots of work behind her two novels, but the best part about them is the identity of her characters, who feel complete and real to readers despite their emotional devastation. Social realism with the strength of fiction as a turbo-empathizer. An incredible novel.’ La buena vida ‘Raw, ingenious and addictive.’ El Pais ‘An author who knows that behind all affection lies hidden danger.’ Yuri Herrera, author of Signs Preceding the End of the World ‘Eating Ashes bravely addresses the pain of migration, but also the desire, contradictions and rage of a young woman trying to make sense of her brother’s suicide… Moving, urgent and beautiful.’ Monica Ojeda, author of Jawbone