The affairs of the Falcóns: a novel

Title:

Author:

Rivero, Melissa, author.

Personal Author:

Rivero, Melissa, author.

ISBN:

9780062872357

9780062872364

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

277 pages ; 24 cm

Abstract:

Ana Falcón, along with her husband Lucho and their two young children, has fled the economic and political strife of Peru for a chance at a new life in New York City in the 1990s. Being undocumented, however, has significantly curtailed the family's opportunities: Ana is indebted to a loan shark who calls herself Mama, and is stretched thin by unceasing shifts at her factory job. To make matters worse, Ana must also battle both criticism from Lucho's cousin--who has made it obvious the family is not welcome to stay in her spare room for much longer--and escalating and unwanted attention from Mama's husband.

Subject Term:

Illegal aliens -- Fiction.

Immigrants -- Fiction.

Peruvians -- Fiction.

Genre:

Domestic fiction.

Historical fiction.

Summary:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Main Library	Book	FICTION RIVERO	Searching... Unknown
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Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Winner of the 2019 New American Voices Award

Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel

Longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize

A Recommended Book of 2019 from:

Southern Living * Buzzfeed * The Huffington Post * Bustle * Fierce * Hip Latina * Ms. Magazine * Alma * Library Journal * The Rumpus * The Millions * Refinery29 * Electric Literature

A stunning debut novel about a young undocumented Peruvian woman fighting to keep her family afloat in New York City

Ana Falcón, along with her husband Lucho and their two young children, has fled the economic and political strife of Peru for a chance at a new life in New York City in the 1990s. Being undocumented, however, has significantly curtailed the family's opportunities: Ana is indebted to a loan shark who calls herself Mama, and is stretched thin by unceasing shifts at her factory job. To make matters worse, Ana must also battle both criticism from Lucho's cousin--who has made it obvious the family is not welcome to stay in her spare room for much longer--and escalating and unwanted attention from Mama's husband.

As the pressure builds, Ana becomes increasingly desperate. While Lucho dreams of returning to Peru, Ana is deeply haunted by the demons she left behind and determined to persevere in this new country. But how many sacrifices is she willing to make before admitting defeat and returning to Peru? And what lines is she willing to cross in order to protect her family?

The Affairs of the Falcóns is a beautiful, deeply urgent novel about the lengths one woman is willing to go to build a new life, and a vivid rendering of the American immigrant experience.

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

A nuanced look at the human cost of immigration policy.It's New York in the 1990s. Ana Falcn works as a seamstress. Her husband, Lucho, is driving a cab. Along with their two small children, the Falcns are living with Lucho's cousin's family. The pressurespersonal, financialthat Ana faces will be recognizable to most readers, but the fact that the Falcns are undocumented immigrants adds a layer of complexity and peril to every choice they make. Ana and Lucho are limited in the kinds of jobs they can find and vulnerable to employers willing to hire workers illegally. Housing is hard to come by, and they know that their welcome with extended family is not indefinite. With no access to banks, they are forced to do business with loan sharks. Rivero offers a portrait of the immigrant experience that will undoubtedly ring true to many, but she also writes with great specificity. She offers insight into the economic and political instability that drove Ana and Lucho to leave Peru, and she depicts the ways in which class and race factor into the lives of the Falcns. Ana's background is rural and indigenous. Terrorists and soldiers were a threat to her and her mother. Lucho's family is from Lima, and these differences color Ana's relationship with Lucho's cousin Valeria. Ana is a very well-crafted protagonist, sympathetic but not perfect. Her situation is circumscribed, but Rivero gives her considerable agencyincluding the freedom to make dubious choices. This is, obviously, a book that has a lot to say to our current moment, but it also has an emotional appeal that is timeless and universal.Thoughtful and eye-opening, this is an admirable debut. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.