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Gina Maria Balibrera’s The Volcano Daughters erupts with a tale as sprawling and vivid as the Salvadoran landscape it depicts. Set in the early 20th century, this debut novel traces the lives of two sisters, Graciela and Consuelo, born into the shadow of a volcano on a coffee plantation in El Salvador. Through their intertwined stories, Balibrera captures the sweep of history, the brutality of political oppression, and the unbreakable bonds of love and resilience.
In 1923, 9-year-old Graciela and her mother, Socorrito, are summoned to San Salvador for the funeral of the father Graciela never knew—a peasant turned advisor to El Gran Pendejo, the despotic ruler of El Salvador. At the funeral, Graciela meets her older sister, Consuelo, who was taken from the finca as a child and now lives in opulence with her adoptive mother, Perlita. Graciela soon learns she is expected to follow in her father’s footsteps, advising El Gran Pendejo in the same role that her sister failed to fulfill. Each morning, Graciela is chauffeured to the presidential palace, where she listens to the dictator’s ramblings and feeds them back to him. Meanwhile, teenage Consuelo finds solace in an affair with her art teacher, seeking freedom in a world that feels increasingly stifling.
But The Volcano Daughters is no ordinary coming-of-age story. Spanning 30 years and continents—from San Salvador to Paris, San Francisco, and Hollywood—the novel delves into themes of displacement, survival, and the weight of history. As El Gran Pendejo’s rule descends further into madness, his policies lead to the horrific massacre of Indigenous people, forcing the sisters to flee the country. Separated by violence and believing the other dead, Graciela and Consuelo each forge their own paths while haunted by the specters of their past.
Balibrera infuses the narrative with a unique magical-realist touch, giving voice to the ghosts of the sisters’ childhood friends—Lourdes, Maria, Cora, and Lucia. These spectral narrators provide a first-person-plural chorus, weaving in and out of the story with poignant commentary and eerie presence. While this inventive narrative style adds depth and texture, the sheer scope of the novel sometimes leaves certain moments feeling rushed, making it challenging to fully connect with every character and subplot.
Despite this, Balibrera’s lush, bravura style brings vibrancy to the sisters’ journey, whether depicting the glamour of 1930s Hollywood, the bohemian art world of Paris, or the harsh realities of political exile. By reimagining a painful chapter of Central American history, The Volcano Daughters transforms it into a tale of resilience, love, and survival against impossible odds. With its sweeping scope and imaginative voice, Balibrera’s debut marks her as a bold and compelling new storyteller.
