THE HOUSE OF IMPOSSIBLE LOVES
An “exuberant” (El Mundo) debut novel of a family bound by searing passions, an earthy magic, and a very unusual curse…
The Laguna women suffer from an odd affliction: each generation is condemned to tragic love affairs and to give birth only to girls who are unable to escape the cruel fate of their mothers. One fateful hunting season in their small Castilian town, a young landowner arrives and begins a passionate affair with Clara Laguna, the latest in the family line, daughter of a one-eyed woman known as “the Laguna witch.” He leaves her pregnant with yet another daughter,
An “exuberant” (El Mundo) debut novel of a family bound by searing passions, an earthy magic, and a very unusual curse…
The Laguna women suffer from an odd affliction: each generation is condemned to tragic love affairs and to give birth only to girls who are unable to escape the cruel fate of their mothers. One fateful hunting season in their small Castilian town, a young landowner arrives and begins a passionate affair with Clara Laguna, the latest in the family line, daughter of a one-eyed woman known as “the Laguna witch.” He leaves her pregnant with yet another daughter, but the seeds of change are sown. Eventually the long-awaited son—Santiago, the great-great grandson of Clara—is born. A window of hope is opened, but is the curse truly over?
Introducing a cast of memorable, eccentric characters from a bearded, mute female cook to the local do-gooding priest and the indelible Laguna women themselves, The House of Impossible Loves is a feat of imaginative storytelling that marks the arrival of a talented new novelist.
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Hardcover
- June 2013
- 336 Pages
- 9780547661193
Buy the Book
$25.00
About Cristina Lopez Barrio
Cristina López Barrio lives in Madrid and is a former intellectual property lawyer.
Praise
“Imbued with magical realism, Barrio’s tale of lost loves sparkles. A gorgeously spun and deftly told tale.”—Kirkus Review
“Barrio’s story combines the timeless quality of a fable with the fully imagined emotional force of a modern novel. [Her characters]…bring to the novel the embroidered richness of a family saga told and retold across generations.”—Publisher’s Weekly
“Carter’s translation of this whimsical novel offers a vivid and sultry language that perfectly reflects the Laguna family and their fantastical world. With self-healing wounds and pet cockroaches, this tale has it all. And while that can prove problematic, there’s no doubt that Barrio is a wonderfully gifted storyteller.”—Booklist