I enjoyed reading this book. It took me longer than expected to complete it. I look forward to additional works by this author.

This was so heartbreaking and it made me so angry at the same time. This was lord of flies but in an apocalyptic way about Hurricane Maria and the devastation it caused in Puerto Rico as well as commentary on how the Government handled it.

I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Just could not get into this and had to DNF at the 20% mark, the writing was so slow and it sat on my kindle staring at me for months. The plot had a lot of potential but the writing wasn't for me.

This is a very important story to tell but it is dense and highly emotional. After a natural disaster destroys the main character's home and life, this book deals with the aftermath and how people and governments in power do or don't do the work they promise. This book is highly charged and a gamechanger.

Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino. The book is set in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. This natural disaster devastated the island of Puerto Rico in 2017 and follows the story of a group of survivors who are searching for hope in a world that has been torn apart by both the forces of nature and human violence.
The book's main character is Camila, who is haunted by the death of her sister, Marisol, during the hurricane. Unable to let go of her sister, Camila carries her body through the town and towards the supposed utopia of Memoria. In Memoria, she meets Urayoán, an idealistic but troubled cult leader who promises a peaceful and democratic society. The story follows the members of Memoria as they navigate Urayoán's rise to power and confront his authoritarian impulses to reclaim their home.
As someone born, raised, and currently living in Puerto Rico, I was deeply moved by Velorio. The novel portrays the strength, resilience, and hope of the Puerto Rican people in the face of unimaginable tragedy. It is a tale of both peril and possibility, grounded in a deeply held belief in the power of community to unite against those corrupted by power.
Navarro Aquino's writing is poetic and visceral, capturing the heartbreak and devastation of Hurricane Maria while also highlighting the beauty and complexity of Puerto Rican culture. His portrayal of the island and its people is authentic and respectful, and I'm glad to see more representation of my culture in literature.
Overall, Velorio is a powerful and timely novel that explores themes of grief, survival, and the search for hope in the face of adversity. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Puerto Rican culture, as well as for those who want to understand the human impact of natural disasters and the resilience of the human spirit.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. I was not able to connect with it at all, and it wasn't for lack of trying. A huge thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

In the wake of Hurricane Maria, the corruption and graft of government officials and apathy of the United States are evident in the slow response to the tragedy, the lack of attention to the infrastructure, and the paucity of food and other resources.

Urayoán, a charismatic visionary with an army of “Reds,” young boys who do his bidding, establishes Memoira, a peaceful utopia—giving residents food, energy (gas), and protection, as long as they follow his rules, including praising him at a nightly fireside ritual.

To Memoria flock Camilla, so devastated by her sister’s death in the storm that she refuses to part with her corpse, carrying her as a backpack even as she decays; Cheo, a fish monger and poet whose notebook is ever ready for his observations; Moriviví, a tough and reactionary woman with a loyal streak; and Bayfish and Banto, outsiders in their former community who hope for Ura’s sanctuary.

Conditions outside Memoria remain untenable, yet Ura’s iron grip on power belies his claims of a democratic community and his methods appall those who see beyond his propaganda. Those watching must decide if Ura’s protection is worth his descent into megalomania or if they must take a stand to reclaim their home.

VELORIO is both an indictment of the official response to Hurricane Maria and a celebration of the people of Puerto Rico who survived nonetheless. It is also a fascinating meditation on power dynamics, grief, and small groups. I thought it was a very powerful read about what happens when official structures break down and form a power vacuum. Although Ura started out with a beneficent vision, he became a rather one-note character, and if he had been more morally gray, his impact might have been stronger. But this is a good choice for readers who enjoy literary fiction with a touch of magical realism.

I read this book for a Puerto Rican book club I started, so my comments reflect my and other group members' impressions.

Velorio tells the story of a fictional group of survivors of the 2017 Hurricane Maria. A velorio is a wake, the kind that precedes a funeral, and that is very much the setting created by Aquino when showing the despair and hopelessness created by the destruction that leads to the death of thousands of people on the island.

The group of survivors escape the lack of food, electricity, and water and trek to the mountains hoping for refuge. Instead, the charismatic leader of the promised utopia gradually becomes a dictator and molds the children in the community into a maniacal Lord of the Flies-style gang to help him keep his hold on power.

The resilience of the group of survivors from helpless victims to individuals taking back their agency and power to build back their island resonated with all of us in the book club, whether we had loved ones who lived through the tragedy of Hurricane Maria or watched in horror while our people were left to die by the ineptitude and lack of concern in the United States’ response to the humanitarian crisis on the island. The book sparked painful conversations about Puerto Rico’s treatment by the United States as little more than a colonial possession whose people were not considered to be worth saving.

I would highly recommend this book.

While I liked parts of this book well enough while I was reading, I found myself doing other things rather than reading, never really compelled to pick it up. I appreciated the in depth, personal impact we see of the hurricane on a variety of characters and the way that each chapter feels like an interconnected short story. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Puerto Rico or anyone who likes that type of narrative. I will be interested to see what this author writes next despite this being just an ok read for me.

Really incredible writing and a gripping tale thats rich in setting! Reminded me of Fernanda Melchor's writing. Rich and full developed characters.

Velorio
By: Xavier Navarro Aquino

Thank you @NetGalley and Harpervia for the e-arc.

María Hurricane came to Puerto Rico 5 years ago and took everything from us. Even though Velorio was not a favorite (too many characters for my liking), I still feel is an important read. It explains how the government failed us and the communities had to come together in order to rise up. 5 years later and we are hit with Hurricane Fiona, the government had 5 years and did not NOTHING to prepare for this and yet again communities are doing everything they can to help those in need.

Ps. The writing style was fenomenal

Gracias NetGalley y Harpervia por el “e-arc”
🌀
El Huracán, María vino a Puerto Rico 5 años atrás y destruyó a todo Puerto Rico. Aunque Velorio no fue mi favorito (muchos personajes para mi gusto), sigo pensando que es una lectura importante. Explica como el gobierno nos falla y las comunidades tuvieron que unirse para poder salir adelante. 5 años y el Huracán Fiona nos destruye una vez más. El gobierno tuve 5 años para prepararse y no hizo NADA. Las comunidades otra vez están haciendo lo imposible para ayudar a los más necesitados.

Thank you for the ARC of this book, although I read it from the library.

I was so intrigued by this book since I had volunteered in post-Maria Puerto Rico to help with the rebuilding effort. However, I made it about halfway through before giving up on it. I found it hard to follow and the character I was interested in the most, Camila, doesn't appear that often throughout the book and only has that one story in the first half. This just wasn't for me.

I enjoyed reading this book! The writing was solid and the plot was intriguing. I look forward to the author’s next book!

Literary horror-adjacent titles centered around grief are always going to do it for me. This did not disappoint. The character work in particular was beautiful. It was a little overwhelming with the sheer breadth of characters, but they way they were handled more than made up for the slight confusion.

Took me awhile to read this one but I liked it! I had to use google translate a lot, but it was worth it. Beautifully written, but simple.

I have not read any fiction about Hurricane Maria but this was definitely not what I was expecting. Since this was advertised as "general fiction" and "literary fiction" I was not expecting something so horrifying (which I did not mind at all, I just wasn't expecting it). I guess I would say it's more literary horror/ dystopian? I definitely see how it can be classified as literary fiction because of the prose. I thought the story was super interesting and I was very engaged with reading from multiple POVs.

I think it is important for readers to go in knowing how graphic and dark this book gets.

Life is hard enough when you're facing down the traumatic events and aftermath of a hurricane. Placing a cultish community in the path of survival only pulls on the already thinly stretched sanity of a woman fighting to survive.

Beautiful and fresh writing and storycrafting. I'd definitely read more from this author.

I particularly enjoyed the characters and settings as they are innovatively conveyed in this set of stories. And not to focus on difference, these stories form an intimate perspective that is overlooked or under-represented. But here, this voice and these voices provide insights and heartfelt dynamics.

There is so much to love about Velorio. The unflinching look at Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. The deft use of language. The fully-realized characters. I loved this brutal read and think it captures the devastation of Hurricane Maria and its too-quickly forgotten impact quite well.

That said, I wish that the novel had been a bit more cohesive, and that its central villain had been more fully realized -- these things would have made Velorio a truly unforgettable novel.

I will be looking out for Xavier Navarro Aquino's next novel. I can't wait to see what he writes next.