The Stillness of Love and Exile
Synopsis:
The Stillness of Love and Exile tells the story of a beautiful young Mexican woman who journeys through worldly struggles and mystical experiences to find true love and happiness. Lilia is raped at a young age and shamed into a loveless marriage where she remains trapped for six years. Finally gathering the courage to escape, she moves in with her grandfather in Hidalgo. The events that unfold there blend the present and past in a way that is both spiritual and supernatural. Lilia is torn by her love for two men with remarkable similarities. After a bewildering string of coincidences and confusions, Lilia sets off down a tumultuous road of passion to uncover the truth and find peace.
Book Excerpt:
Seven years before she began her journey along the highway of desire, Lilia was a mere sixteen-year old and had lived an uneventful but happy childhood in her Coahuila hometown of Nueva Rosita. The eldest of four siblings, she had been a gentle and synpathetic child. But time betrayed her to her misfortune because as she entered adolescence, her spirit of gentleness adorned itself with the symbols of a premature sexuality. Her body grew up before she could discern what the changes meant, and she began to experience a persistent restlessness alien to her innocence. Anxiousness---her immature sexual desires--constantly interrupted her sleep, and when she did sleep, she dreamt of being awake all the time. Suddenly, she lost interest in those things she had once loved: her books, her friends, and their games. She had no comprehension that her restless and formless sexuality could one day transform itself into the desire for a man's love even though, unknown to her, she already inspired an intense longing in men because was not kinetic but a serene-like liquidity that suggested she could decipher their death anxieties.
Topics/Categories:
Historical, Magical Realism, Mexico
Genre:
Type of Work:
Awards:
2008 Independent Publisher Book Award for Best Fiction 2008 PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award for Fiction
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Original Publish Date:
May 7, 2007
Formats and associated ISBNs:
978-0-9785988-0-8
Publishing Notes:
For more information on Tertulia Press, visit http://www.tertuliamagazine.com/about_us.php#tertuliapress
Formats:
Paperback
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