07/31/2023
In Arias’s lush and ambitious debut, the women of a Costa Rican family wrestle with their resentments and secrets in the long shadow of a banana plantation. On a hot night in 1968, two catastrophic events alter the lives and fortunes of the Sánchez Cepeda household: José María murders his mother-in-law in front of his wife, Teresa, and one of his daughters, and the American Fruit Company’s largest plantation burns to the ground. In 1995, the surviving family members are still trying to make sense of what happened. Teresa, now about to turn 60, has continued to live in the same house in Barrio Ávila, with only her mother’s ghost for company. A dire medical diagnosis forces her estranged daughter, Lyra, to contemplate allowing Teresa to meet her grandson, Gabriel. Hanging over the familial tension is the legacy of U.S. agricultural exploitation, particularly the use of toxic pesticides on American Fruit Company crops. Arias shows a knack for arresting images (“He stumbled out into a mud-dirt road and swayed in the imaginary breeze only drunken men feel”) as he winds back and forth through time. The novel is strongest capturing the complications of love and the parental struggle not to inflict the traumas they inherited on their children. It’s a rewarding outing from an exciting new voice with a prowess for lyricism. Agent: Erin Harris, Folio Literary. (Sept.)
12/22/2023
DEBUT In Costa Rica's affluent Barrio Ávila, Teresa Cepeda Valverde will soon be 60, the same age as her mother Amarga was when she died on a terrible night in 1968. That same night, Teresa's father, José María, set the American Fruit Company's banana plantation afire. The corporation, founded in 1910, has been managed by corrupt officials who pay handsomely to conceal dirty secrets from their mistreated workers. Though tasked with covering up evidence of the toxic effects of company-sanctioned pesticides, Dr. Vincent Smith, the company's medical officer, pens letters of warning to the board. His advice is ignored, and the workers, spraying the plants with no protective gear, develop sterility and testicular diseases. José María is devastated to learn that he's sterile. Assuming that his daughters, Lyra and Carmen, are not his, he goes on a rampage, killing Amarga, beating Teresa, setting the banana fields on fire, and then disappearing. Years later, unearthed company papers reveal the company's duplicity. While a court case exposes corporate greed, the workers and their families must still contend with incalculable loss and lasting trauma. VERDICT Arias's debut, overflowing with ancestral ghosts and portentous omens, should resonate with readers seeking a poignant, multi-generational family saga.—Donna Bettencourt
2023-06-21
A Costa Rican family is torn apart by multiple tragedies over several generations.
One fateful night in 1968, Lyra and Carmen’s family is changed forever: Their maternal grandmother dies, and their father, José María, sets fire to the American Fruit Company, the banana plantation where he works, and then disappears. Afterward, Teresa, their distraught mother, flees to Washington, D.C., for six years with no contact, leaving the sisters in the care of their godmothers. This is the second time Teresa has faced loss related to the plantation: Her father worked there as a corporate lawyer until he too disappeared one day. Jumping forward to 1995, Lyra is estranged from her mother as she raises Carmen’s son, 10-year-old Gabriel, as her own following Carmen’s death by suicide when he was a newborn. Now working as an infertility counselor in San José, Lyra meets a patient who used to work at the American Fruit Company and who has a box of documents he was supposed to destroy. As Lyra begins to research the bad deeds of the company that fractured her family, she wrestles with whether to reconcile with her mother, newly diagnosed with cancer, and be truthful with Gabriel about his family. Arias’ debut novel seeps with spirits and omens as the devastating impact of imperialism is examined. The story is told through a kaleidoscope of moments in multiple time periods, leaving the reader to piece together knowledge alongside Lyra even as the truth will come far too late to heal the devastating wounds left behind: “Ashes cannot testify on the witness stand.” Arias ably balances the weight of a family drama with a broader depiction of Costa Rican history, though the characters could be more fully depicted and, just as for Lyra and Gabriel, not all the pieces come together for the reader.
A striking debut rich in secrets and sadness.
"A striking debut rich in secrets and sadness." ―Kirkus
"When poets write novels, you just know they'll be good ones." —Good Morning America
"John Manuel Arias weaves an ambitious story that exposes the costs of corporate greed while revealing the power of personal agency and the enduring bonds of family. This is a book you’ll want to read again and again." ―Cleyvis Natera, author of Neruda on the Park
“Lyrical and affecting.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A sweeping portrait of a Costa Rican family that has the energy of a speeding train. Each sentence that John Manuel Arias writes carries the juice of great gossip, the lyricism of a favorite poem, and the blood of forgotten history. I will never forget this book." ―Melissa Lozada-Oliva, author of Dreaming of You
“This novel showcases its author’s lyrical gifts and deep, personal knowledge of Costa Rican history and agribusiness. In scintillating prose, John Manuel Arias, who is also a poet, tells the story of a family rent apart by the ruthless banana industry and a deadly fire that impacts multiple generations.” —The San Francisco Chronicle
“Every page is a masterclass in how to wrap a reader inside of a book. Simply put, this book will make you want to re-read it just to spend more time with the writing.” —Debutiful
“Vivid and rich.” –Lupita Aquino
"A haunting, operatic saga of family, history and place. Where There Was Fire beautifully braids love, lust, magic and the destructive power of man to wondrous and, at times, heartbreaking effect. Arias has created an utterly original, unforgettable tale of family that will sear a place in the reader's soul.” ―Xochitl Gonzalez, bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming
"Where There Was Fire reads as if enchanted by the spirit of an ancient and generous storyteller. How privileged we are to read of this memorable family! It is an astonishing debut novel, written in prose so atmospheric and poetic that I gasped too many times to count. Where There Was Fire quite literally took my breath away." ―Kali Fajardo-Anstine, ABA winner and bestselling author of Woman of Light and Sabrina & Corina
"An arresting tale of love, regret, and redemption. John Manuel Arias offers a searing look into the legacy of American agribusiness in Costa Rica and masterfully tells the story of a family fighting to put itself back together in the wake of unimaginable loss. As poetic as it is powerful, Where There Was Fire burns with rage and grief, and most of all, hope." ―Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky
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 men infertile. This epic tale includes despondent men abandoning their families, suicides, arson, a hurricane, and passionate love affairs. Despite Sananes's excellent narration, listeners may experience some difficulty keeping the storyline clear. L.J.C.A. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
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 men infertile. This epic tale includes despondent men abandoning their families, suicides, arson, a hurricane, and passionate love affairs. Despite Sananes's excellent narration, listeners may experience some difficulty keeping the storyline clear. L.J.C.A. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
