Fresh Dirt from the Grave

In Giovanna Riveros short stories, the collision of harshness and tenderness animates the gentleness she shows all violated creatures, despite the darkness. She has reworked the boundaries of the gothic to engage with pre-Columbian ritual, folk tales, sci-fi, and eroticism, finding in the wound their humanity and the possibility of hope.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 155 pages
Publication date: 20 June 2023
Publisher: Charco Press

In the captivating world of Giovanna Riveros short stories, a hillside is revealed as an emerald saddle teeming with both evil and beauty. It is this harmonious blend of harshness and tenderness that gives life to her narratives, where even the darkest depths of buried bodies, lost children, and wild paroxysms of violence cannot diminish the gentle compassion she extends to all violated creatures. A haunting presence of a mad aunt haunts her family, two Bolivian children find themselves on the fringes of a Metis reservation outside Winnipeg, a widow teaches origami in a women's prison, and a myriad of tragedies unfold, including housefires, poisonings, and murders. Yet, amidst this chaos, there emerges a steadfast resilience of people who refuse to be defeated by the world. They are met with cruelty, often indifference, and yet they persist, forging ahead with unwavering determination. Rivero has pushed the boundaries of the gothic genre to engage with pre-Columbian ritual, folk tales, sci-fi, and eroticism, unearthing the humanity within these wounds and revealing the glimmer of hope that remains. Through her vivid storytelling, she invites readers to explore the complexities of the human experience and to recognize the strength and resilience that can be found even in the darkest of times.

Weight: 206g
Dimension: 131 x 198 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913867515