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The debut novel from the critically acclaimed author of There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven follows two families across alternate timelines during the Salvadoran Civil War. It is a stunning exploration of the mechanisms of fate, the weight of the past, and the endurance of love. The Boston Globe calls this epic, genre-bending novel a "deliriously fun read."
The Defractor is an experimental device that allows users to glimpse alternate versions of their lives. When Ana, an aspiring academic, uses the device, what she sees propels her and her boyfriend on an international quest through Havana and San Salvador to uncover the family histories they are desperate to know. Thirty years earlier, the Salvadoran Civil War is brewing, and two young revolutionaries, Neto and Rafael, form an intense and forbidden love. In both love stories, and in every timeline, the characters return to the questions we all ask ourselves: what if I'd made a different choice? Can understanding our past traumas help us fix and reshape our future relationships?
As the novel journeys through the Defractor's alternate timelines, families converge and fracture, a war is won/a war is lost, and the lovers are at the mercy of it all.
Reyes Jr.'s story collection, There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven (now in paperback), was longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and the American Voices Award. It was also a finalist for the Story Prize and the Aspen Words Literary Prize. Both books are available now at your local independent bookstore.
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