Where There Was Fire
Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias is a debut novel published by Pan Macmillan in 2024, comprising 288 pages in English. Set against the backdrop of Costa Rica in 1968, the story begins with a devastating fire at the American Fruit Company’s banana plantation, which obscures a significant cover-up and alters the course of Teresa Cepeda Valverde’s family forever. Fast forward twenty-seven years, and Teresa and her daughter Lyra are left to navigate the aftermath of that fateful night, grappling with unresolved issues and the weight of their shared history.
Readers will find a narrative that explores the complex relationship between Teresa and Lyra as they confront their family’s past. The novel delves into themes of forgiveness and understanding, intertwined with elements of magical realism and historical context. As Lyra seeks the truth about her family’s history, Teresa is haunted by memories of her missing husband and her mother’s ghost, creating a rich tapestry of ancestral spirits and the forces of nature. Where There Was Fire presents a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the quest for redemption within the framework of political and social dynamics in post-World War II Costa Rica.
Official synopsis Publisher
Costa Rica, 1968. When a lethal fire erupts at the American Fruit Company’s most lucrative banana plantation burning all evidence of a massive cover-up, the future of Teresa Cepeda Valverde’s family is changed for ever.Now, twenty-seven years later, Teresa and her daughter Lyra are still picking up the pieces. Lyra wants nothing to do with Teresa, but is desperate to find out what happened to her family that fateful night. Teresa, haunted by a missing husband and the bitter ghost of her mother, is unable to reconcile the past. What unfolds is a story of a mother and daughter trying to forgive what they do not yet understand, and the mystery at the heart of one family’s rupture, steeped in machismo, jealousy and greed.Where There Was Fire brims with ancestral spirits, omens and the forces of nature. John Manuel Arias’s extraordinary debut novel weaves a brilliant tapestry of love – lost and found again – and, ultimately, redemption.
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