Chilco

Chilean writer Catrileo debuts with an impressive story of catastrophe and culture clash in near-future Chile. Mari, the 26-year-old narrator, has recently decamped with her partner, Pascale, from the overcrowded Capital City of her birth for Pascale’s homeland, the quiet and mysterious island of Chilco. Famous for its rebellious spirit and strong Indigenous communities, Chilco seems to move at a slower pace than the mainland, but that’s not the only thing Mari has a difficult time adjusting to. Pascale’s friends and neighbors don’t believe a city girl such as herself could ever fully appreciate or understand Chilco, though Mari is also of Indigenous descent. The narrative moves backwards in time, weaving in stories of Mari’s upbringing in a matriarchal household and the political unrest and natural disasters that begin to plague Capital City—from demonstrations in which houses are intentionally destroyed, to a series of sinkholes that devour pockets of the city—and finally force the couple to flee to Chilco. Though the dialogue often feels stiff, particularly in moments of tension, such as when Pascale and Mari debate whether to leave the city, Catrileo keeps the novel afloat with razor-sharp observations on the city’s exploitive colonial history and staggering decay. It’s a rewarding story of chosen family. (July)