The Volcano Daughters, by Gina Maria Balibrera

The Volcano Daughters is a well written, dense narrative that follows the separate lives

of two sisters, Graciela and Consuelo, who manage to escape from a dangerous,

crushing dictator in El Salvador in the early 1930s.

The story moves nonlinearly through tumultuous times in both their native country and elsewhere. The author combines cultural traditions and storytelling, magical realism, and real historical events to weave a fascinating story. The prologue of this story was at first confusing to me because I did not know what was to come, but it is beautiful, and I’m glad that I kept reading. 

Some of the voices telling the stories of Graciela and Consuelo are fantasmas, or what we’d usually call spirits or ghosts. In this way, the sisters’ memories, friends, and family stay with them, in their hearts.

Gina Maria Balibrera has written a memorable and special saga that I am grateful to have read. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon,Vintage and Anchor for the opportunity to read and review this novel.