Xavier Navarro Aquino – författare

“This debut novel traces a group of survivors who fall under the spell of an authoritarian cult leader in the days following Hurricane Maria’s destruction in Puerto Rico. It is deeply imagined and deeply felt – imagistic and strange and haunting – and simmering with grief and rage.”  -- Gabriela Garcia, New York Times bestselling author

Set in the wake of Hurricane Maria, Xavier Navarro Aquino’s unforgettable debut novel follows a remarkable group of survivors searching for hope on an island torn apart by both natural disaster and human violence.

Camila is haunted by the death of her sister, Marisol, who was caught by a mudslide during the huracán. Unable to part with Marisol, Camila carries her through town, past the churchyard, and, eventually, to the supposed utopia of Memoria. 

Urayoán, the idealistic, yet troubled cult leader of Memoria, has a vision for this new society, one that in his eyes is peaceful and democratic. The paradise he preaches lures in the young, including Bayfish, a boy on the cusp of manhood, and Morivivi, a woman whose outward toughness belies an inner tenderness for her friends. But as the different members of Memoria navigate Urayoán’s fiery rise, they will need to confront his violent authoritarian impulses in order to find a way to reclaim their home.

Velorio—meaning “wake”—is a story of strength, resilience, and hope; a tale of peril and possibility buoyed by the deeply held belief in a people’s ability to unite against those corrupted by power. 

“This debut novel traces a group of survivors who fall under the spell of an authoritarian cult leader in the days following Hurricane Maria’s destruction in Puerto Rico. It is deeply imagined and deeply felt – imagistic and strange and haunting – and simmering with grief and rage.”  -- Gabriela Garcia, New York Times bestselling author

Set in the wake of Hurricane Maria, Xavier Navarro Aquino’s unforgettable debut novel follows a remarkable group of survivors searching for hope on an island torn apart by both natural disaster and human violence.

Camila is haunted by the death of her sister, Marisol, who was caught by a mudslide during the huracán. Unable to part with Marisol, Camila carries her through town, past the churchyard, and, eventually, to the supposed utopia of Memoria. 

Urayoán, the idealistic, yet troubled cult leader of Memoria, has a vision for this new society, one that in his eyes is peaceful and democratic. The paradise he preaches lures in the young, including Bayfish, a boy on the cusp of manhood, and Morivivi, a woman whose outward toughness belies an inner tenderness for her friends. But as the different members of Memoria navigate Urayoán’s fiery rise, they will need to confront his violent authoritarian impulses in order to find a way to reclaim their home.

Velorio—meaning “wake”—is a story of strength, resilience, and hope; a tale of peril and possibility buoyed by the deeply held belief in a people’s ability to unite against those corrupted by power. 

Set in the wake of Hurricane Maria, Xavier Navarro Aquino’s unforgettable debut novel follows a remarkable group of survivors searching for hope on an island torn apart by both natural disaster and human violence.Camila is haunted by the death of her sister, Marisol, who was caught by a mudslide during the huracán. Unable to part with Marisol, Camila carries her through town, past the churchyard, and, eventually, to the supposed utopia of Memoria. 

Urayoán, the idealistic, yet troubled cult leader of Memoria, has a vision for this new society, one that in his eyes is peaceful and democratic. The paradise he preaches lures in the young, including Bayfish, a boy on the cusp of manhood, and Morivivi, a woman whose outward toughness belies an inner tenderness for her friends. But as the different members of Memoria navigate Urayoán’s fiery rise, they will need to confront his violent authoritarian impulses in order to find a way to reclaim their home.

Velorio—meaning “wake”—is a story of strength, resilience, and hope; a tale of peril and possibility buoyed by the deeply held belief in a people’s ability to unite against those corrupted by power. 

«En esta novela, la catástrofe se cuenta con precisión de cronista y belleza poética. Sus voces transcurren entre el tono íntimo y devastador de un diario del desastre y la mirada colectiva de la memoria que ve la esperanza en el linaje de resistencias que han enfrentado al poder desde tiempos ancestrales. Xavier Navarro Aquino nos entrega así una primera novela sobre el huracán que marcó un antes y un después en la historia de la isla». —Joel Cintrón Arbasetti, periodista y autor de El Local y Sobre un animal muerto

Es septiembre de 2017 y el huracán María acaba de arrasar con Puerto Rico. Camila se siente perturbada por la muerte de su hermana, Marisol. Todo empezó cuando le arrancó un pedacito, el meñique que sobresalía del fango, tras el deslizamiento de tierra que se la llevó. Incapaz de desprenderse de ella, Camila carga con su cuerpo hasta llegar al supuesto paraíso perdido llamado «Memoria».

Urayoán, el profeta soñador pero peligroso de Memoria, tiene planes para su nueva sociedad: aspira a un nuevo orden tras el abandono del Gobierno. El paraíso que predica seduce a jóvenes de toda la isla, entre ellos a Pescao, Moriviví y Banto. Todos ellos tendrán que navegar el ascenso entre llamas del tirano Urayoán y enfrentarse a sus impulsos macabros para poder reclamar su hogar, una isla estremecida tanto por el paso impetuoso de María como por la violencia humana.

Velorio es la ansiada y desgarradora novela poshuracán que despierta nuestros miedos más profundos, pero que apela también a la voluntad y la fuerza de todo un pueblo a la hora de enfrentarnos a los corruptos en poder.

Xavier Navarro Aquino nació y se crió en Puerto Rico. Sus obras han sido publicadas en las revistas literarias Tin House, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern y Guernica. Ha recibido numerosas becas de parte de Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Sewanee Writers’ Conference y la prestigiosa MacDowell Fellowship. Cursó su maestría en Estudios Caribeños en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, recinto de Río Piedras, y tiene un doctorado en Literatura Inglesa en la Universidad de Nebraska-Lincoln. Actualmente, es profesor asociado en el programa de maestría en Inglés de la Universidad de Notre Dame.