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In this lush, lyrical debut, three generations of Costa Rican women wrestle with the aftermath of a deadly secret, a family torn apart, and an all-consuming fire...
Teresa Cepeda is staring down old age alone, estranged from her eldest daughter, Lyra. With her husband missing and her youngest dead, Teresa's only companion is the petulant ghost of her mother, Amarga. But when an aberrant hurricane makes landfall in San Jose's Valley, an unexpected visitor - the grandson she loves but was never permitted to meet - arrives on her doorstep.
Thirty years ago, when Teresa's husband murdered Amarga and burned the American Fruit Corporation to the ground, Teresa was forced to flee Costa Rica. Now that her grandson is asking questions, will the Cepedas learn why their patriarch committed these shocking acts of violence? Will Lyra finally forgive Teresa for abandoning her and her late sister when they were children? As the hurricane wreaks havoc, the Cepedas will need to reconcile soon - if at all.
Brimming with ancestral spirits, omens, and the anthropomorphic forces of Nature, Where There Was Fire weaves a brilliant tapestry of love, loss, secrets, and redemption. John Manuel Arias chronicles the rich history of Costa Rica from the civil war in 1948 through the mid-1990s and shows how the lives of one family are intertwined with the tides of history and international politics.
Teresa Cepeda is staring down old age alone, estranged from her eldest daughter, Lyra. With her husband missing and her youngest dead, Teresa's only companion is the petulant ghost of her mother, Amarga. But when an aberrant hurricane makes landfall in San Jose's Valley, an unexpected visitor - the grandson she loves but was never permitted to meet - arrives on her doorstep.
Thirty years ago, when Teresa's husband murdered Amarga and burned the American Fruit Corporation to the ground, Teresa was forced to flee Costa Rica. Now that her grandson is asking questions, will the Cepedas learn why their patriarch committed these shocking acts of violence? Will Lyra finally forgive Teresa for abandoning her and her late sister when they were children? As the hurricane wreaks havoc, the Cepedas will need to reconcile soon - if at all.
Brimming with ancestral spirits, omens, and the anthropomorphic forces of Nature, Where There Was Fire weaves a brilliant tapestry of love, loss, secrets, and redemption. John Manuel Arias chronicles the rich history of Costa Rica from the civil war in 1948 through the mid-1990s and shows how the lives of one family are intertwined with the tides of history and international politics.
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A Costa Rican family's generational trauma impacts their descendants in ways they don't fully understand because of secrets that have never been shared. Adriana Sananes adopts both Spanish and English accents throughout the complex dynamics of five generations who were affected by the exploitation of the Great American Fruit Company. The corruption of the U.S. banana company left many Costa Rican
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