do you have any book recs that have a latine main character?
Most books I read with Latine main characters are in Spanish or, if translated to English, are hard to find in free pdf, so you'd have to buy them. But... Since it's Halloween...
Here are some or my favorite Neo-ghotic Latine authors and somw other books.
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1. OUR SHARE OF NIGHT
“ Juan Peterson was saved from his sickness by a rich Argentinian family when he was just a kid. In return, he became the medium who contacted the demon figure of their cult, and ends up marrying one of the family's daughters, Rosario.
Years after, Rosario dies and Juan suspects her family (the cult) killed her for hiding the psychic abilities of their son, Gaspar. Juan runs against time to try and protect them both, because if they knew the kid has the abilities of his father, they'd kill Juan and replace him with Gaspar. ”
Unsettling enough to not be read at night, but beautifully written, with a well executed plot. It is an interesting mix of queer subplots, South American history of the last century, Latine ghost stories to haunt you for weeks and characters (and scenes) you won't be able to get out of your head.
I have the pdf in Spanish, but the English translation is getting published next year! Please buy it if you can <3
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Author: Mariana Enríquez. Argentina.
Link to buy it in English. Pdf in Spanish.
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( see more book recs under the cut )
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2. JAWBONE
“ Fernanda Montero Oliva, a high class student of a prestigious Catholic high school for girls, wakes up one morning to find out she's been kidnapped by Clara, her Literature teacher, who's been tormented by Fernanda and her group of friends from months now.
But the story of such group of girls goes beyond it.
They've also created the cult of the Crocodile God, the White God. The leader was Fernanda best friend, Annelise, a tumultuous figure that absorbed Fernanda whole with her obsession with fear. That's how the nightmare started.
With Annelise and Fernanda both. ”
Honestly I'm still trying to figure out how to feel about this story. It made me feel like –like when I watched Hannibal, like I was running a fever.
The book explores the nature of power in mother-daughter dynamics, the nature of violence between teenage girls, the nature of terror and fear, how women are treated and seen in Latam and finally, the relationship between the female figure and the monstrous.
Cw for– genuinely, everything. This is not a light read.
Author: Mónica Ojeda. Ecuador.
Pdf in English. Pdf in Spanish.
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3. CEMETERY BOYS
“ Yadriel is queer, trans, Latino, and a brujo (witch).
Unfortunately, his family does not recognize him as a man, which has serious effects on his witching ability. Along with his cousin and best friend, Maritza, Yadriel attempts to summon the ghost of his murdered cousin to prove himself.
Instead, he summons Julian Diaz, a boy from Yadriel's school who does not remember how he died and is not ready to move on. ”
I haven't read it yet, so I can't day much. Still, one of my friends is obsessed with it and I trust my friend's taste, so this must be amazing. To tell a queer and trans story in a Latine setting in United States... And put witchcraft on it...
This is by far the lighter read of this list. At least it won't break your brain and leave you with traumas, something that could very much happen with Jawbond or Our Share Of Night.
Author: Aiden Thomas. United States.
Pdf in English. Pdf in Spanish.
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4. This World Does Not Belong to Us
“ Lucas was just a child when his father sold him to another farmer as a laborer. Years later, Lucas returns, full of resentment and burning for revenge. ”
Lyrical prose, I haven't read it yet but I've been waiting for the chance. It talks a little about change, the way some insects experience it, and how it relates to us humans as we grow old
Author: Natalia García Freire (Ecuador).
Pdf in English. Pdf in Spanish.
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And here are some more I'll only mention, because I have so many Latine spooky books recs for October:
Fever Dream (Distancia de Rescate)
A mother and her daughter move to a country town, but things start getting scary when the town start getting sicker and sicker.
There's a Netflix adaptation, but for obvious reasons the book is better.
by Samanta Schweblin (Argentina).
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Malasangre (Badblood).
Back at the first half of 1900, a young girl turns into a vampire due contamination in his father's blood for sleeping with mistresses. She tries to survive the heavy political and social context of Venezuela back on those years, with the help of a queer man and her own mind.
There's no English adaptation, sadly :(
by Michelle Roche Rodriguez (Venezuela).
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