Family Lore

Elizabeth Acevedo author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Canongate Books

Published:10th Aug '23

Should be back in stock very soon

Family Lore cover

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. When she decides she wants a living wake - a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she's led - her sisters are surprised. Has Flor forseen her own death? Or someone else's? Does she have other motives?

But Flor isn't the only person with secrets. Matilde has tried for decades to cover the extent of her husband's infidelity, but she now must confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora is typically the most reserved sister, but Flor's wake motivates this driven woman to attempt to solve her sibling's problems. Camila is the youngest sibling, often the forgotten one, but she's decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted.

And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own: Yadi, reuniting with her first love, who was imprisoned when they were both still kids; and Ona, married for years and attempting to conceive.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo's inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces - one family's journey through their history helping them better navigate all that is to come.

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
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 DARÉ, 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
A dazzling portrait of a family with dark secrets around every corner * * Apple Books, Best Books of the Month * *

ISBN: 9781805300496

Dimensions: 214mm x 135mm x 27mm

Weight: 373g

384 pages

Export/Airside - Export/Airside/Ireland