The story of three women - an indigenous healer, a trans woman, and a journalist - from different worlds who uncover striking parallels between their lives
A remarkable novel by one of the most exciting new voices in Latin America today
This is the story of who Feliciana is, and of who Paloma was.
I had wanted to get to know them, but I realised right away that the people I needed to know better were my sister Leandra and my mother. Myself. I came to understand that you can´t really know another woman until you know yourself...
Weaving together two parallel narratives, Witches tells the story of Feliciana, an indigenous curandera or healer, and Zoe, a journalist: two women who meet through the murder of Feliciana´s cousin Paloma.
In the tiny village of San Felipe in Jalisco province, where traditional ways and traditional beliefs are a present reality, Feliciana tells the story of her life, her community´s acceptance of her as a genuine curandera and the difficult choices faced by her joyful and spirited cousin Paloma who is both a healer and a Muxe - a trans woman.
Growing up in Mexico City, Zoe attempts to find her way in a society straitjacketed by its hostile macho culture. But it is Feliciana´s and Paloma´s stories that draw her own story out of her, taking her on a journey to understanding her place in the world and the power of her voice.
This captivating novel of two Mexicos envisions the writer as a healer and offers a generous and distinctly female way of understanding the complex world we all inhabit.
Translated from the Spanish by Heather Cleary