Spirits of the Ordinary: A Tale of Casas Grandes

Set in northern Mexico in the 1870s, Spirits of the Ordinary tells interweaving stories centered on Zacar as Carabajal, who leaves his comfortable city home to prospect for gold in the wilderness while his abandoned wife, Estela, struggles to build a new life.

Visions, dreams, and portents are part of the everyday world of Spirits of the Ordinary. Estela's siblings, the enigmatic and supernaturally beautiful twins Manzana and Membrillo, discover their gift for water divining. Zacar as's mother, Mariana, has been silent all her adult life after experiencing an apocalyptic vision of angels in her teens. His father, Julio, is an apothecary devoted to Torah study and Jewish mysticism, practicing his religion in secret as generations before him have done. Meanwhile, Zacar as's wanderings turn into a spiritual quest that takes him to the ancient cliff dwellings known as Casas Grandes.

Presenting a tapestry of fascinating lives as well as the story of a reluctant mystic in a spectacular desert landscape, Spirits of the Ordinary demonstrates that, as Alcal writes in her introduction, "magic and holiness are all around us."

Author: Kathleen Alcalá
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Raven Chronicles
Published: 05/10/2021
Pages: 236
Weight: 0.77lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.98w x 0.54d
ISBN: 9780997946888
2nd Edition

About the Author
Alcalá, Kathleen: - KATHLEEN ALCALÁ was born in Compton, California, to Mexican parents, and grew up in San Bernardino. She has a BA in linguistics from Stanford University, an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington, and an MFA from the University of New Orleans. Both a graduate of and instructor in the Clarion West Science Fiction and Fantasy program, her work embraces both traditional and innovative storytelling techniques. She is the author of six award-winning books that include a collection of stories, three novels, a book of essays, and, most recently, The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Pacific Northwest Island, from the University of Washington Press. http: //www.kathleenalcala.com