Pura Belpré Honor Book
BEST OF THE YEAR
Chicago Review of Books · Kirkus · Los Angeles Public Library
Publishers Weekly Flying Start
High Spirits
is a collection of eleven interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora, from debut author Camille Gomera-Tavarez.
It is a book centered on one extended family – the Beléns – across multiple generations.
It is set in the fictional small town of Hidalpa – and Santo Domingo and Paterson and San Juan and Washington Heights too.
It is told in a style both utterly real and distinctly magical – and its stories explore machismo, mental health, family, and identity.
But most of all,
represents the first book from Camille Gomera-Tavarez, who takes her place as one of the most extraordinary new voices to emerge in years.
For fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Sandra Cisneros, Angie Cruz, and Yaa Gyasi
P R A I S E
★
“Authentic and immersive…A labor of love imbued with dedication to family.”
—Kirkus (starred)
“Deeply personal and relatable. Steeped in nostalgia and harsh but fierce love, this is a memorable family saga in its own right.”
—Booklist (starred)
“Full of vivid and poetic imagery… settings worthy of drinking in, and thematic material ripe for contemplation about identity, intergenerational memory, and patriarchy and toxic masculinity, Gomera-Tavarez’s soulfully crafted debut is a sensitive, intrinsically feminist work.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“A magical and unflinching look at the Dominican Diaspora.”
—Dominican Writers Association