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Sign up todayLos Santos de Agua Mansa, California [Still Water Saints]
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Learn moreLos Santos de Agua Mansa, California (Still Water Saints) chronicles a momentous year in the life of Agua Mansa, a largely Latino town beyond the fringes of Los Angeles. It is home to the Botánica Oshún, where people come seeking charms, herbs, candles, and, above all, the guidance of the shop’s owner, Perla Portillo. Perla has served the community for years, advising people on all manner of crises, large and small. Among her customers are Juan, a businessman coming to terms with the death of his father; Nancy, a schoolteacher caught between the demands of her new husband and her parents; Shawn, an addict looking for peace; and Rosa, a teenager trying to lose weight and find herself. But when a customer with a troubled, mysterious past arrives, Perla must confront her unfulfilled hopes and doubts about her place in a rapidly changing world.
Alex Espinoza was born in Tijuana, Mexico, the youngest of eleven children, and later migrated to Southern California with his family and grew up in La Puente, a suburb of Los Angeles. He earned a BA with honors from the University of California at Riverside and an MFA from the University of California at Irvine, where he was editor of the university’s literary magazine.
Reviews
“Still Water Saints is charming, yet its charm is an uneasy one. Its whimsy has teeth. And that is absolutely a compliment.”
“Espinoza…brings a small southern California town to vivid and vibrant life in his magical debut. Espinoza is a refreshing new writer, and his first novel embeds itself indelibly into the reader’s memory.”
“[A] kaleidoscopic portrait of a southern California town…[Espinoza] demonstrates a deep understanding of his characters. Setting their lives against Perla’s provides an inventive way to reflect the community’s diversity as well as its shared needs. A well-crafted collection of vignettes, neatly stitched together.”
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