An Ode to Magical Realism
with Ann Dávila Cardinal, author of 'The Story Teller’s Death'
#NuevasPaginasconLupita is a space that is both an archive and resource aimed to "spotlight" Hispanic/Latinx/e authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to new and/or old favorite Hispanic/Latinx/e authors and their books! So give this & every post a share to help us reach more readers!
How does it work?!
Here’s the deal, I came up with a set of casual/random/funny questions to ask each Hispanic/Latinx/e author, I interview. For now, the questions will all be the same but maybe in the future I’ll launch this into more specific questions to the author or maybe I’ll turn this series into a mini-podcast, or maybe……well, you get it! The possibilities are endless.
If you are new here don’t forget to check out all the other amazing interviews! We also have a great line-up of guest authors coming up so make sure you don’t miss an issue by subscribing now!
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Hey Heyyy Book Franz!
It’s Election day in the U.S. for those that can vote and I know you’ve seen the constant reminders via social media to vote…so I’m going to add an extra friendly reminder to vote if you are able to do so. Because there are so many folks living in the U.S. without the right to vote. Vote with them in mind.
For the #LupitasBookClub Besties:
I’m really excited to share that this month’s book club will be co-hosted with one of my favorite license therapists on TikTok Violetta from Latinx_Estrangement. I’ll have a little more to share about Violetta, so you all can get to know her a little more but for now, I wanted to let you all know that we will be going live on November 28th together (details forthcoming) to discuss ‘How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water’ by Angie Cruz. I’m personally looking forward to discussing this book with Violetta because one of the themes in the book is her area of focus - family estrangement. So, it’s not too late for you to grab a copy of the book and join us <3
Without further ado, our special guest author for today’s issue is……Ann Dávila Cardinal author of The Story Teller’s Death
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
Originally, the photo I took was taken at my cousin Tere Dávila's house in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. It is about 2 miles from where most of The Storyteller's Death takes place, a property that was lush and overgrown and is now a parking lot. To take this photo in a family home on the island was so meaningful as it is an ode to my Puerto Rican family. Plus, Tere is also a writer, so she brings a connection to the literary heritage of our family.
We changed the cover, so this is a new photo!
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book.
This book is, in many ways, my ode to magical realism, a genre I was raised on. My mother had all the classics on our shelves, Allende, Márquez, Borges, Cortázar. I read them all when I was young, too young to truly understand them, but I found refuge in their magical worlds during very difficult times in my life. I would never presume to compare myself with literary greats such as these, however I wanted to honor those stories, and what they meant to me, in my own way.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
A big one that comes up for me again and again is grief. As someone who lost a parent as a child, death is imprinted on me, it's an integral part of who I am as an adult. As a result, it finds its way into my creative work. We all deal with it at some point in our lives in big and small ways, so it's universal, but that doesn't make it any less traumatic. Another is more obvious, the storytelling piece. I have always collected stories from my family, and they were foundational in building my identity in my youth. And once the older generation is gone, stories allow them to live on, and inspire new generations.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
Oh, I love this question. It would be a single story, mid-century modern, modest home on the island, surrounded by more trees than are practical, and have ridiculous, ornate, impractical, wood furniture. It would be a place where the family gathers to eat and talk in squeaking rocking chairs, but there would be one room that stayed closed, where all the skeletons who are normally in closets would be free to dance around, wave out the windows, and tell truths. Or is that just really creepy?
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
Definitely Hector Lavoe. He was the king of Salsa, and was very famous in the years this book takes place, the 1970s and 80s. He told stories of love and life that were not sugar-coated, but dark and beautiful. And he struggled with addiction, a central theme in this novel.
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
Bacalaito, the fried codfish fritters that are my favorite thing to eat on the island. Or mofongo, with starchy rich plantains, garlic, salt, and fresh caught fish or lechon (pork). And for dessert, a flaky pastry stuffed with guava or tres leches cake. Damn, now I'm salivating! Basically anything that is starchy, deep-fried, and served at a kiosko by the roadside.
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
I think access to Latine works is what made me a writer. I always knew my great-great-uncle was a famous poet (Virgilio Dávila), but I found poetry intimidating. It was the fiction my mother had around the house that inspired me to study other writers, and during undergrad I took classes about these works in English and in Spanish. I took one class in Puerto Rican literature and I think it was Rosario Ferré's novel The House on the Lagoon (La Casa de la Laguna) that struck me the hardest. I could see myself and my family in the story, and her language...simply stunning. From there I took a deep dive into the literature of the island and those of other Latin American cultures. It was all I read for many years.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
I'm most active on Twitter and Instagram, but I also have an author page on Facebook, and am just digging into Tik Tok.
A huge thank you to Ann Dávila Cardinal for taking the time to chat with me about her book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) of her book #SupportLatinxLit!
Ann Dávila Cardinal is a novelist and Director of Recruitment for Vermont College of Fine Arts where she also earned her MFA in Writing. She comes from a long line of Puerto Rican writers, including father and son poets Virgilio and José Antonio Dávila, and her cousin, award-winning fiction writer Tere Dávila. Ann's first novel, Sister Chicas, was co-written with Jane Alberdeston Coralin and Lisa Alvarado, and was released from New American Library. Her next novel, a horror young adult work titled Five Midnights, was released by Tor Teen on June 4, 2019. The story continues in Category Five, also from Tor Teen, released on June 2, 2020. Ann lives in Vermont where she cycles, knits, and prepares for the zombie apocalypse.
Synopsis for The Storyteller’s Death from the bookshop website:
There was always an old woman dying in the back room of her family's house when Isla was a child...
Isla Larsen Sanchez's life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage.
When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family's cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her.
At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez cuentistas. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can't solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.
I'm really looking forward to this one!