In Bicho Raro, Colorado, the Soria family performs miracles for pilgrims who seek relief from their internal darkness. Those who arrive with heavy hearts find their inner turmoil physically manifested—becoming giants, growing flowers from their skin, or turning into literal stone. While the Soria saints can trigger these transformations, they are forbidden from helping pilgrims resolve them. Beatriz, Joaquin, and Daniel Soria navigate this isolated desert landscape where owls carry messages and a pirate radio station broadcasts over the dunes. When Daniel, the current Saint of Bicho Raro, interferes with a miracle to save a soul, he triggers a chain of events that threatens the family’s rigid traditions and their survival against the desert.
Readers who enjoy magical realism and intricate, fable-like storytelling will find a specific look at the mechanics of human shame and forgiveness here. It appeals to those interested in how family legacies dictate personal behavior and how institutional rules often conflict with individual empathy. The reader gains an understanding of how externalizing internal struggles can lead to self-confrontation. It is a study of the difference between performing a service for others and actually understanding their pain.
- Published
- 2017
- Language
- EN
