Maria, Maria
& Other Stories
by Marytza K. Rubio
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Apr 26 2022 | Archive Date Mar 31 2022
W. W. Norton & Company | Liveright
Talking about this book? Use #MariaMaria #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
For fans of Kali Fajardo-Anstine and Lesley Nneka Arimah, a darkly funny and imaginative debut conjuring tales of Mexican American mystics and misfits.
"The first witch of the waters was born in Destruction. The moon named her Maria." From former PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow Marytza K. Rubio comes Maria, Maria, an inimitable collection set across the tropics and megacities of the Americas.
Readers will be enticed and infuriated as characters negotiate with nature to cast their desired ends—such as the enigmatic community college professor in "Brujeria for Beginners'; the disturbingly faithful widow in "Tijuca"; and the lonely little girl in "Burial," who awakens a sabretooth tiger. Brimming with sharp wit and ferocious female intuition, the book bubbles over into a novella of fantastical proportions—a "tropigoth" family drama set in a reimagined California micro-rainforest about the legacies of three Marias, possibly all Marias. Writing in prose so lush it threatens to creep off the page, Rubio emerges as a bold voice new voice in contemporary short fiction.
About the Author: Marytza Rubio has an MFA in creative writing: Latin America and was a Bread Loaf scholar. She is the founder of Makara Center for the Arts, a nonprofit library in her hometown of Santa Ana, California.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781324090540 |
| PRICE | $24.95 (USD) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Amanda R, Librarian
Tropigoth short story collection.
A widow goes to extreme lengths to fulfil her husband’s wishes, two starstruck sisters make a wish on holiday, a young woman has a lepidopterous rebirth.
From the opening story’s bossy schoolmarm voice addressing ‘you’ (the second person), the reader sits up and pays attention. With offbeat humour filled with gothic warmth, Maria, Maria draws on superstitions and folklore from the Americas.
With thanks to NetGalley and W W Norton for the ARC.
Tara T, Reviewer
Wow, I loved this! Witchy, spooky, and magical. I loved every single story, they were all so unique yet connected by magical realism and powerful women, and rooted in Mexican brujeria/witchcraft. I also loved the way nature and the environment played a strong roll in the stories. Each story was so atmospheric and just the right amount of spooky, with mystery and ambiguity, and beautiful writing.
An incredible debut, I can't wait to get a hard copy and re-read this, especially to see all of the little bits of art throughout the book. This is definitely a new favorite of the year for me.
I highly recommend this to fans Carmen Maria Machado and/or magical realism with strong women characters and witchy vibes.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advanced e-copy of this.
Tracey T, Reviewer
It sometimes feels like there is a secret world, accessible only to people who believe in the power of nature, have an interest in witchcraft, and revel in stories of courageous women. The residents of this world are often pushed to the fringes, and forced to dull their glow. In her debut collection, Maria, Maria, Marytza K. Rubio has created what feels like a guide to this world, with stories so vivid and enjoyable, the reader feels instantly transported.
This collection is ridiculously special. Every story is steeped in folklore, fantasy, feminism, and fun. Rubio’s sense of humor especially comes across in the opening story, Brujeria for Beginners, which transports us to a witchcraft class in a community college.
A really strong theme in this collection is family; Tunnels is the fascinating history of the Fogata family told through locations, and Moksha is an innocent story of two young sisters set against the world of vampire-like creatures. The finale, Maria, Maria, is a sweeping fantastical epic novella, about crumbling cities, revenge, psychic parents, and finding one’s true self.
Fans of surrealist artist and writer Leonora Carrington will adore this collection; her influence on Rubio is clear in Art Show, an exhibition of art created by animals. There are some truly special moments created through illustration; stay tuned to the end of the acknowledgments for a rewarding interactive element.
I could truly go on for hours about the beauty of each of the stories in the collection. The tales are so rich, colorful, and completely unforgettable. Marytza K. Rubio - you’ve got a fan for life right here.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
