So This Is How It Ends
Unfolding against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, my first novel follows three generations of one family that hails from the fictional rural town of Valdourizo, in the region of Galicia—an area of Spain that fell early to the Fascists. Haunted by grief and paranoia, a widowed farmer named Luis knows that even the most mundane actions will be parsed for clues to one’s political loyalty, but he inadvertently gets drawn into a situation that wreaks havoc on the entire family. His young niece, Luz, learns from him that survival demands silence, only to be consumed by the information that she has concealed her entire life. Luz’s adult daughter, Veronica, is left to dig up the ugliness of the past so that her mother can finally find redemption and peace.
The story begins in October 1936, and weaves back and forth in time and setting, between Spain and New York City, before finally coming to a close on San Xoán’s Day in June 2001. This traditional Galician celebration takes place within a few days of the summer solstice—a significant day in the local folklore—and speaks to the area’s pagan past.
The novel incorporates elements of Galicia’s unique culture and roots, which differentiate it from much of Spain. It is not a land of flamenco, paella, or Cervantes’ arid plateaus. More akin to Ireland, a place with which it shares a Celtic heritage, Galicia is bagpipes, green valleys, potatoes, mist-covered mountains, and the melancholy of a rainy day.
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