A delightful book by a Chicana set in northern Mexico around 1900, full of unique characters, and touched with other-worldly magic and grace.

Kathleen Alcala is a true storyteller, able to intertwine a variety of stories into one narrative. At the center is Zacarias, a man descended from Jews who had come to Mexico generations earlier, publicly converting to Catholicism to avoid being killed in the Inquisition, but practicing their faith in secret. Zacarias’ father continues to study Jewish texts, and his mother is mute but extra sensitive to the world around her. As the book begins, Zacarias is obsessed with prospecting for gold. He spends most of his time, and his wife’s money, in the mountains. When she cuts off his access to her wealth, he leaves on a quest for gold. Living among native peoples, he changes and changes the lives of those around him.

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