Spirits of the Ordinary

A spectacular tapestry of folklore, spirituality, and constantly shifting landscapes, this enchanting and original first novel will appeal to readers of Isabel Allende, All the Pretty Horses, and Like Water for Chocolate. Unfolding a rare and haunting gift for story-telling, Kathleen Alcal begins her tale in the 1880s and follows three generations of the Carabajal family on a path of forbidden love and hidden belief that wends across the Mexico-Texas border. Estela risks the security of her comfortable home and children to pursue a consuming passion. Her husband, Zacaras, is guided by an inexplicable spiritual longing and his affinity for the indigenous people who dwell in the cliffs of Casas Grandes. Zacaras's father, a cloistered Jew, studies the ancient wisdom of the Torah and the Cabala, hoping to unlock the secrets of his son's future. The truth, when it comes, will surprise all of them.