El cielo de la selva
In a ruthless world of guerrilleros and narcos, the jungle guarantees the safety of its inhabitants, who give up any kind of rights and hope in this terrible fable about motherhood and women’s bodies.
The jungle is a hungry god. One that allows safe living in its domain but demands the highest of prices in return. Its voracity never ends and those who live under its control must surrender their children to it as part of a cyclical cannibal tribute.
In this Caribbean horror story, mothers are forced to raise their own children as future food, in a sacrifice made of blood and madness. If one wishes to survive here, no woman can decide not to be a mother. And no mother can not become a mere producer of human flesh to keep the system of offerings and retribution going.
» One of the best books of 2023 (El País)
» NoLlegiu Award 2024
» Finestres Award shortlist
PRESS
«This shocking novel is the blood that we cannot stop seeing, a story about the voracity of violence, motherhood and death in the jungle, about what makes us human and what makes us cruel. Elaine Vilar Madruga is a powerful, elegant and daring voice. I want to read everything she writes.» Mariana Enríquez, author of Our Share of Night
«Elaine Vilar Madruga’s writing makes the jungle that lives in us – voracious, hungry god – make us tremble with fear and wonder. The result is a novel overflowing with talent, intelligence and terror. You have to read it.» Mónica Ojeda
«A standing ovation for El cielo de la selva. It will be difficult to find a better book than this one this year. Vilar is an author with both personality and authority.» Carlos Zanón, El País
«The novel creates a distressing and surprising microcosm, emerging as one of the best books of the year. Elegant and exquisitely narrated.» Silvia Hernando, Babelia (El País)
«With this sharp-witted debut novel, Elaine Vilar Madruga delivers a terrifying critique of the patriarchal injunction to motherhood in Latin America. (…) The writer composes a captivating horror story in which magical realism and Greek mythology (…) are skillfully combined.» Ariane Singer, Le Monde
TRANSLATIONS
Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico: Elefanta Editorial; Brazil: Editora Instante; France: Éditions de l’Observatoire; UK: Borough Press; US: HarperOne; Spanish audio: Recorded Books; Turkey: Tersine
