Eating Ashes

"While Navarro is broadly interested in themes of immigration and the colonial legacy, the novel is firmly rooted in the specific, palpable lives of her characters, which she renders with nuance and honesty.... A sensitive portrayal of sibling love, grief, and the trauma of dislocation."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Alone and adrift in Barcelona, an unnamed narrator is haunted by the death of her teenage brother, Diego. Diego, the little boy she helped raise in Mexico while their mother struggled to make a living in Spain. Diego, who loved Vampire Weekend and dreamed of becoming a pilot. Diego, who hated Madrid as much as she did.

Now, his ashes in hand, she must return to Mexico. Plagued by memories, she recounts their young lives leading up to tragedy in blistering detail: the acute loneliness that accompanied their emigration; the siblings' first separation, when she left for Barcelona to make her own way in the world; her activism against labor abuses, which is threatened by her tumultuous relationship with an entitled lover; and the final, heavyhearted confrontation with her brother. Caught between rage and heartbreak over the loss of Diego, she pieces together a story of alienation, but also of surprising courage and hope. 

Brenda Navarro is one of the most critically acclaimed authors in the Spanish language. Eating Ashes won the Cálamo and CEGAL prizes and was a finalist for the Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial Novel Prize. Originally from Mexico, she lives in Madrid.

Megan McDowell has translated works by Samanta Schweblin and Mariana Enriquez, among others. Her translations have won the National Book Award for Translated Literature and the English PEN award.