Nazaré is the story of Kin, a young, homeless boy, and how he with the help of many others liberated his people from the brutal dictatorship of the Matanza family. It begins one morning on the beach where he discovered a beached whale. With the sailors and townspeople and everyone trying to save the whale, or at least get their picture taken, with no success, Kin stays by the whale, still trying his best until a huge wave comes to wash the whale back into the water. He is accused of sorcery and brought to trial but escapes.
Of course, this is magical realism, so Mayor Matanza has the given names of the most infamous dictators and his last name means massacre. The judge at the trial is an ancient turtle. It’s truly magical realism, not a story with a singular fantastical element.
Kin has to flee and his travels and the people he meets prepare him for the future and build a coalition that will help bring down the dictator, though there is more to the story.
Of course, magic is everywhere.
I loved Nazaré from the first to the last page. I even called up a friend to read a passage because it delighted me so. She’s reading it now. The prose is full of life and humor. And magic, of course. There is so much magic.
I received an ARC of Nazaré from the publisher
