Eating Ashes: A Novel
Jan 2026 · Liveright Publishing
Ebook
240
Pages
About this ebook
FINALIST FOR THE 2026 KIRKUS PRIZE FOR FICTION
SOON TO BE THE FILM ASHES DIRECTED BY DIEGO LUNA
An arrestingly beautiful, award-winning novel about separation, migration, and love left behind.
Now, his ashes in hand, she must return to Mexico. Plagued by memories, she recounts their young lives leading up to tragedy in blistering detail: the acute loneliness that accompanied their emigration; the siblings’ first separation, when she left for Barcelona to make her own way in the world; her activism against labor abuses, which is threatened by her tumultuous relationship with an entitled lover; and the final, heavyhearted confrontation with her brother. Caught between rage and heartbreak over the loss of Diego, she pieces together a story of alienation, but also of surprising courage and hope.
Masterfully translated by National Book Award winner Megan McDowell, and shot through with flashes of dark humor, Eating Ashes boldly confronts both the intimate and systemic struggles faced by migrants striving to build a life worth living. Already an international sensation across Europe, this novel cements Brenda Navarro as a breathtakingly unique and vital voice in literature.
SOON TO BE THE FILM ASHES DIRECTED BY DIEGO LUNA
An arrestingly beautiful, award-winning novel about separation, migration, and love left behind.
SOON TO BE A MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY DIEGO LUNA
An arrestingly beautiful, award-winning novel about separation, migration, and love left behind.
Alone and adrift in Barcelona, an unnamed narrator is haunted by the death of her teenage brother, Diego. Diego, the little boy she helped raise in Mexico while their mother struggled to make a living in Spain. Diego, who loved Vampire Weekend and dreamed of becoming a pilot. Diego, who hated Madrid as much as she did.Now, his ashes in hand, she must return to Mexico. Plagued by memories, she recounts their young lives leading up to tragedy in blistering detail: the acute loneliness that accompanied their emigration; the siblings’ first separation, when she left for Barcelona to make her own way in the world; her activism against labor abuses, which is threatened by her tumultuous relationship with an entitled lover; and the final, heavyhearted confrontation with her brother. Caught between rage and heartbreak over the loss of Diego, she pieces together a story of alienation, but also of surprising courage and hope.
Masterfully translated by National Book Award winner Megan McDowell, and shot through with flashes of dark humor, Eating Ashes boldly confronts both the intimate and systemic struggles faced by migrants striving to build a life worth living. Already an international sensation across Europe, this novel cements Brenda Navarro as a breathtakingly unique and vital voice in literature.
FINALIST FOR THE 2026 KIRKUS PRIZE FOR FICTION
SOON TO BE THE FILM ASHES DIRECTED BY DIEGO LUNA
An arrestingly beautiful, award-winning novel about separation, migration, and love left behind.
SOON TO BE A MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY DIEGO LUNA
An arrestingly beautiful, award-winning novel abo...
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About the author
Brenda Navarro is one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary authors in the Spanish language. Empty Houses is her first novel, and she lives in Madrid.
Megan McDowell has translated works by Samanta Schweblin and Mariana Enriquez, among others. Her translations have won the National Book Award for Translated Literature and the English PEN award.
Brenda Navarro is one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary authors in the Spanish language. Empty Houses is her first novel, and she lives in Madrid.
Megan McDowell has translated works by Samanta Schweblin and Mariana Enriquez, among others. Her translations have won the National Book A...
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