Story by Courtney DuChene, The Philadelphia Citizen
Author Jaquira Díaz will talk about her new novel at a Free Library event on October 30.
Amurder investigation. A teenager discovering her sexuality in a tight-knit community. A multigenerational family mystery epic. Salsa music.
So sets the stage of This Is the Only Kingdom, author Jaquira Díaz’s debut novel. The book, which is set in el Caserío, Puerto Rico, follows the story of the teenager Nena and her mother Maricarmen, in the aftermath of a murder. It’s a fictionalized version of a story Díaz’s father passed down to her as a child, about someone he knew who was a salsa singer. It’s set in the town Díaz is from.