An esteemed author who writes under the pen name "Scheherazade" decides to retire to the Dominican Republic and build a cemetery and sculpture garden to mark stories that she and others started to write or tell and didn't finish. To provide closure, the stories are "buried" and marked with fantastical sculptures. Those with open hearts and minds are allowed entry into the garden. Skeptics with closed minds must stay outside the gates. Once inside, guests to the cemetery are allowed to wander and listen and learn.
This book is a love letter and eulogy of sorts that incorporates the magic of storytelling, a multi-generational road map of immigration and emigration between the United States and the Dominican Republic, and the power of secrets. Set in the 1940s, 1950s and present day, the story follows families related in some way or other to the former dictator of the Dominican Republic, Rafeal Trujillo, nicknamed, "El Jefe." Some of the characters are blood relatives, others were seeking protection from El Jefe's regime, others were the children of the older generation who heard stories but wanted more details as their aging parents shared details of their lives in a way they hadn't in the past.
Sure to be a classic by the author of In the Time of the Butterflies and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Julia Alvarez makes you think of what leaving stories untold does to a person and those who would benefit from hearing the words. Available in English and Spanish, as well as from Wisconsin's Digital Library OverDrive.