Description: Dressing the Saints, the second selection for the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series, vividly explores the lives of Cuban Americans. Set in the lushness of Cuba and Florida, and spanning decades, the stories chronicle lives left behind and new ones forged with struggle, melancholy, and hope. Old loves are reencountered, enemies confronted, family secrets are revealed, and women fight for agency. Memory, what can't be forgotten and what is elusively fading away with the passage of time, is ever-present in the stories of people fiercely confronting fate with grace and compassion.
Review Quotes:
"Wryly observed and suffused with tenderness, the neatly plotted stories in Aracelis González Asendorf's debut collection DRESSING THE SAINTS inscribe a new and moving chapter of the Cuban diaspora into Florida's literary history with delicacy, nuance, and wit."
--Joy Castro, author of One Brilliant Flame
"An unforgettable collection about home, endurance, and the search for understanding amid often devastating losses. I fell in love with these characters as they tried to connect with one another, sometimes tenderly, sometimes awkwardly, and sometimes proudly displaying well-earned fangs. A gorgeous, lyrical debut!"
--Ana Menéndez, author of The Apartment