AUDIOBOOK
About
A sweeping family saga set in Texas and the Philippines, following two generations of women reckoning with what it means to keep a legacy alive
On the island of Mindoro in the Philippines, the future of Corazon de la Cruz's family rests with her. She'll be the first to go to college, to immigrate to the U.S., and to support her family back home by becoming a doctor. She can't remember whether this dream was ever her own, or if she even has a say in it. But when a fire mysteriously breaks out on the de la Cruzes' land, the family splinters, and Corazon is faced with a fateful choice.
Decades later, Corazon's death has shaken her family to its very core, and her daughters are still picking up the pieces. Hannah and Mari are estranged from their roots in the Philippines when a distant cousin suddenly urges them to return to settle unresolved family business. Together for the first time in years, the sisters find that the fate of their family's ancestral land is somehow in their hands, and it's about to slip away. As they fight to protect their inheritance, they unearth long-buried secrets hidden from them by their beloved matriarch-about her life, their homeland, and themselves.
A lush family saga and a love letter to the Philippines, Between You a River follows two generations of the de la Cruzes as they confront the sacrifices made by mothers so their daughters could lead different lives, and the lifelong push and pull of home. Kimberly Garza is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas, where she earned a PhD in 2019, and the author of The Last Karankawas. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Copper Nickel, DIAGRAM, Creative Nonfiction, TriQuarterly, and elsewhere. A native Texan-born in Galveston, raised in Uvalde-she is an assistant professor of creative writing and literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Praise for The Last Karankawas
"A vivid account of Fish Village . . . The novel skillfully weaves together multiple points of view . . . pulling us into this time and place with a rich description of its particulars . . . Garza's accomplished debut enriches the public imagination of this corner of America, and the communities within."
-Melissa Chadburn, The New York Times Book Review
"Garza manages to expertly capture a range of voices in this stunning and elegiac polyphonic novel . . . Expect great things from this debut writer."
-The Los Angeles Times
"An ode to Galveston, Texas and especially its enmeshed Latino and Filipino communities . . . Heartfelt . . . Every city would be lucky for such a tribute."
-The Wall Street Journal
"A beautifully written, emotionally compelling debut novel . . . This exquisite book marks the beginning of what will hopefully be a long and prodigious writing career by the extraordinary Kimberly Garza."
-Brad Thor, TODAY
"Written in lyrical, nearly hypnotic prose that makes the reader feel the Texan humidity, this is a brilliantly plotted, startling, and richly rewarding exploration of the myths that bind people together, generational traumas, and the remarkable adaptability of humans."
-Booklist
"Stunning . . . Garza gracefully moves through the lives of various characters as they contend with family history and the meaning of home."
-Book Riot
"Garza highlights the diverse origins and worldview behind the brown faces of Texas's south coast . . . Evocative, sometimes heartbreaking, and full of rich descriptions, The Last Karankawas is a love letter to the Galveston most tourists never see and a tribute to the people who sustain, and are sustained by, their adopted homeland."
-Shelf Awareness
"Garza debuts with an accomplished account of the ties between members of a Filipino and Mexican community . . . This is a worthy love letter to Galveston."
-Publishers Weekly
"An immersive experience of a particularly complex
On the island of Mindoro in the Philippines, the future of Corazon de la Cruz's family rests with her. She'll be the first to go to college, to immigrate to the U.S., and to support her family back home by becoming a doctor. She can't remember whether this dream was ever her own, or if she even has a say in it. But when a fire mysteriously breaks out on the de la Cruzes' land, the family splinters, and Corazon is faced with a fateful choice.
Decades later, Corazon's death has shaken her family to its very core, and her daughters are still picking up the pieces. Hannah and Mari are estranged from their roots in the Philippines when a distant cousin suddenly urges them to return to settle unresolved family business. Together for the first time in years, the sisters find that the fate of their family's ancestral land is somehow in their hands, and it's about to slip away. As they fight to protect their inheritance, they unearth long-buried secrets hidden from them by their beloved matriarch-about her life, their homeland, and themselves.
A lush family saga and a love letter to the Philippines, Between You a River follows two generations of the de la Cruzes as they confront the sacrifices made by mothers so their daughters could lead different lives, and the lifelong push and pull of home. Kimberly Garza is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas, where she earned a PhD in 2019, and the author of The Last Karankawas. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Copper Nickel, DIAGRAM, Creative Nonfiction, TriQuarterly, and elsewhere. A native Texan-born in Galveston, raised in Uvalde-she is an assistant professor of creative writing and literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Praise for The Last Karankawas
"A vivid account of Fish Village . . . The novel skillfully weaves together multiple points of view . . . pulling us into this time and place with a rich description of its particulars . . . Garza's accomplished debut enriches the public imagination of this corner of America, and the communities within."
-Melissa Chadburn, The New York Times Book Review
"Garza manages to expertly capture a range of voices in this stunning and elegiac polyphonic novel . . . Expect great things from this debut writer."
-The Los Angeles Times
"An ode to Galveston, Texas and especially its enmeshed Latino and Filipino communities . . . Heartfelt . . . Every city would be lucky for such a tribute."
-The Wall Street Journal
"A beautifully written, emotionally compelling debut novel . . . This exquisite book marks the beginning of what will hopefully be a long and prodigious writing career by the extraordinary Kimberly Garza."
-Brad Thor, TODAY
"Written in lyrical, nearly hypnotic prose that makes the reader feel the Texan humidity, this is a brilliantly plotted, startling, and richly rewarding exploration of the myths that bind people together, generational traumas, and the remarkable adaptability of humans."
-Booklist
"Stunning . . . Garza gracefully moves through the lives of various characters as they contend with family history and the meaning of home."
-Book Riot
"Garza highlights the diverse origins and worldview behind the brown faces of Texas's south coast . . . Evocative, sometimes heartbreaking, and full of rich descriptions, The Last Karankawas is a love letter to the Galveston most tourists never see and a tribute to the people who sustain, and are sustained by, their adopted homeland."
-Shelf Awareness
"Garza debuts with an accomplished account of the ties between members of a Filipino and Mexican community . . . This is a worthy love letter to Galveston."
-Publishers Weekly
"An immersive experience of a particularly complex