Description

Set in 20th-century El Salvador, The Volcano Daughters is a powerful novel about sisterhood, art, and a community of women who refuse to be silenced.

‘A gripping and spellbinding novel about a sisterhood ripped apart by violence, narrated by a ghostly chorus. An unforgettable debut.’ Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half

El Salvador, 1923. Two sisters, raised in the shadow of a brutal dictatorship, must take separate journeys to escape the genocide that engulfs the country they love. Each believing the other to be dead, they flee across the globe, reinventing themselves and building very different lives along the way. But their paths will cross once more, for neither girl can forget the ghosts of the murdered friends they left behind. Fate will bring them back together, and when that happens, the voices of the dead will be heard once more.

Their story is not yet over.

Endlessly surprising, vividly imaginative, bursting with lush life, The Volcano Daughters is a story about the strength of sisterhood against all odds.

* A Most Anticipated Book of the Year from Vulture and Electric Literature *

Publisher Review

‘A gripping and spellbinding novel about a sisterhood ripped apart by violence, narrated by a ghostly chorus. An unforgettable debut.’ Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half ‘Inventive, surprising, and potent, I fell under Gina Balibrera’s spell from the first line… The Volcano Daughters blew my mind with its rich humor, its beautiful portrayal of women’s lives, and its unstoppable plot.’ Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman ‘Stunning: original, magical, brutal, beautiful. A sweeping yet intimate look at love, sisterhood, and resistance in the face of devastation.’ Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake ‘A bilingual, mythological, and original debut about resistance and survival.’ Vulture ‘A dark marvel of a book… Balibrera’s fusion of history and legend, puts me in mind of a young Isabel Allende.’ Peter Ho Davies, author of A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself ‘A new heir to the magical realism throne.’ Seattle Times ‘A gorgeous and painful tapestry, rich with history, memory… The Volcano Daughters is a dazzling accomplishment.’ Kirstin Valdez Quade, author of The Five Wounds ‘A towering achievement at the intersection of ancient myth, political history, and vibrant storytelling.’ Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of Woman of Light ‘Every character comes vibrantly to life in The Volcano Daughters. Every scene surprises with unexpected tremors of questions about the legacy of political violence… Gina Maria Balibrera is a writer of tremendous imagination.’ Idra Novey, author of Take What You Need ‘A captivating rendition of early-20th-century El Salvador… Riveting… The resilience of sisterly bonds forms the backbone of this swirling, heart-wrenching debut.’ Kirkus ‘The Volcano Daughters is a beautiful novel, weaving together magic and humour with tragedy and the unflinching documentary of injustice in a way that is so skilful and surprising.’ Eleanor Shearer, author of River Sing Me Home ‘Epic and intimate, alive and mournful, The Volcano Daughters is an exquisite novel teeming with life, ghosts, pain, and hope. I was swept away by its lyrical, generous storytelling. What a gorgeous, moving work.’ Aysegul Savas, author of The Anthropologist ‘This intriguing debut novel from writer Gina Maria Balibrera introduces two sisters from El Salvador with a story unlike any other… Is it historical fiction? Magical realism? Alternate history? Speculative mythology? The answer is yes.’ Goodreads (Readers’ Most Anticipated Summer Books) ‘Balibrera offers a new book to be entered into the historical magical realism canon. It is a staggering tome of sisterhood, disaster, and myth…an imaginative roller coaster of emotion.’ Debutiful (The Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2024 – Part Two)