Guest post written by Daughter of Fire author Sofia Robleda
Sofia is a Mexican writer. She spent her childhood and adolescence in Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. She completed her degrees in psychology at the University of Queensland, in Australia. She currently lives in the UK with her husband and son, and splits her time writing, raising her son, and working as a psychologist, supporting people with brain injuries and neurological conditions.
When I first thought to make a list of 7-10 contemporary books set in Guatemala, I realized right away there was a challenge. This gorgeous country, the backdrop to my debut novel DAUGHTER OF FIRE, is one that has been largely overlooked in traditional publishing, which is a dire shame.
Sure, there are classics like MEN OF MAIZE written by Nobel Prize-winning Guatemalan author, Miguel Angel Asturias, but I wouldn’t call novels written in the 1940s contemporary. And, as much as it physically pains me to admit, the 1980s happened 40 years ago, so I think that also excludes the autobiography: I, RIGOBERTA MENCHU, AN INDIAN WOMAN IN GUATEMALA, written in 1984 by the titular K’iche’ Maya human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, whose immediate family was murdered during the Guatemalan Civil War.
With all this in mind, I immediately broadened my criteria to Central America, a term which seems to mean different things to different people. Generally speaking, however, Central America includes the following seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. These countries have a shared, often volatile, political and cultural pre-and post-Colonial history, a stunning abundance of biodiversity and an incredible geological backdrop, characterised mainly by long, beautiful coastlines and furious, volcanic cores.
I’ve tried to include novels that share some of the themes in DAUGHTER OF FIRE, my debut historical fiction novel about a young mixed-race woman coming-of-age in 16th century Guatemala, who is tasked with the dangerous quest of writing the forbidden holy book of her mother’s people, the Popol Vuh.
For this list, I looked for stories that explored the struggle to feel a sense of belonging, to not just survive but thrive when the systems around you seem devoted to destroying you, stories which try to center the plight of women, particularly those who have Indigenous roots and therefore have to deal with the added weight of classism and racism plaguing our machismo-loving countries. I’ve also included only Latin American authors on this list, because we also don’t get enough airtime as it is. I hope these novels will give you a flavor for Central America and inspire you to learn more about our kaleidoscope of cultures as a whole.
THE GREAT DIVIDE by Cristina Henríquez
An epic novel about the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there.
THE VOLCANO DAUGHTERS by Gina Maria Balibrera
An original debut about two sisters raised in the shadow of El Salvador’s brutal dictator, El Gran Pendejo, and their flight from genocide, which takes them from Hollywood to Paris to cannery row, each followed by a chorus of furies, the ghosts of their murdered friends, who aren’t yet done telling their stories. Out in August 2024.
THE AFTERPAINS by Anna Julia Stainsby
A heartbreaking portrait of two Honduran families trying to cope with grief, isolation, and living far from one’s homeland—told in the voices of four distinct narrators.
BORDERLESS by Jennifer de Leon
Caught in the crosshairs of gang violence, a teen girl and her mother set off on a perilous journey from Guatemala City to the US border in this engrossing young adult novel.
WHERE THERE WAS FIRE by John Manuel Arias
When a lethal fire erupts at the American Fruit Company’s most lucrative banana plantation in Costa Rica, burning all evidence of a massive cover-up, the future of Teresa Cepeda Valverde’s family is changed forever.
MEET ME UNDER THE CEIBA by Silvio Sirias
This novel revolves around the mysterious murder of Adán, a beloved teacher. Through stories and gossip that expose jealousies, scandals, and misfortunes, Sirias lovingly portrays the community of La Curva, Nicaragua, in all its evil and goodness.
HARSH TIMES by Mario Vargas Llosa
A thrilling historical fiction centred on the CIA-backed military coup in Guatemala. Behind this violent act is a lie passed off as truth, which forever changes the development of Latin America. Harsh Times is a story of international conspiracies and conflicting interests in the time of the Cold War, the echoes of which are still felt today.
BEKA LAMB by Zee Edgell
The record of a few months in the life of Beka and her family. The politics of the small colony, the influence of the matriarchal society and the dominating presence of the Catholic Church are woven into the fabric of the story to provide a compelling portrait of ordinary life in Belize. Even though this novel was written in the 80s, I’ve decided to include it as one of the only novels set in Belize, written by a Latin American author.
THERE IS A RIO GRANDE IN HEAVEN by Ruben Reyes
Salvadorian author Ruben Reyes, who conjures strange dreamlike worlds to explore what we would do if we woke up one morning and our lives were unrecognizable. An electrifying debut story collection about Central American identity that spans past, present, and future worlds to reveal what happens when your life is no longer your own. Out in August 2024.
