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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedom
“Diabolically charming and magnetic. I enjoyed the hell out of this little exploding geyser of a book.”—Ira Glass
When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her own complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world that has no place for the undocumented; her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: she is both fascinated and repulsed. Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?
Brash and daring, part campus novel, part hagiography, part pop song, Catalina is unlike any coming-of-age novel you’ve ever read—and Catalina, bright and tragic, circled by a nimbus of chaotic energy, driven by a wild heart, is a character you will never forget.
“Diabolically charming and magnetic. I enjoyed the hell out of this little exploding geyser of a book.”—Ira Glass
When Catalina is admitted to Harvard, it feels like the fulfillment of destiny: a miracle child escapes death in Latin America, moves to Queens to be raised by her undocumented grandparents, and becomes one of the chosen. But nothing is simple for Catalina, least of all her own complicated, contradictory, ruthlessly probing mind. Now a senior, she faces graduation to a world that has no place for the undocumented; her sense of doom intensifies her curiosities and desires. She infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures—internships and literary journals, posh parties and secret societies—which she observes with the eye of an anthropologist and an interloper’s skepticism: she is both fascinated and repulsed. Craving a great romance, Catalina finds herself drawn to a fellow student, an actual budding anthropologist eager to teach her about the Latin American world she was born into but never knew, even as her life back in Queens begins to unravel. And every day, the clock ticks closer to the abyss of life after graduation. Can she save her family? Can she save herself? What does it mean to be saved?
Brash and daring, part campus novel, part hagiography, part pop song, Catalina is unlike any coming-of-age novel you’ve ever read—and Catalina, bright and tragic, circled by a nimbus of chaotic energy, driven by a wild heart, is a character you will never forget.
23 Reviews
3.5
anto 🍉
Created 8 days agoShare
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thekristinashow
Created 10 days agoShare
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“Catalina is Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's debut novel. This book is described as brash, daring, and part campus novel, part hagiography, part pop song (that last part really checks). Honestly, the author's writing is like your favorite pair of sneakers -- down-to-earth, yet totally unforgettable. Her ability to capture the complexities of identity, family, and resilience in just under 200 pages is applaudable.
The story follows Catalina, who is a self-aware, undocumented Harvard senior navigating her past, future, and the possibilities of love and freedom. Born and living in Equador, she loses both of her parents in a car crash at a very young age and moves to live with her undocumented grandparents in NYC when she's 5. The goal? To give Catalina all the opportunities in the world.
The hard part? Since Catalina is undocumented, when she graduates from Harvard, she won't legally be able to work. Couple that with her grandfather hitting some serious roadblocks with ICE, and we've got ourselves a complex, heart-wrenching story of perseverance in face of adversity.”
thewaveshavecome
Created 13 days agoShare
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booksarebutters
Created 14 days agoShare
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Believable charactersLikable charactersEasy to readOriginal writing
Ashley U
Created 16 days agoShare
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“The author did a great job with the narration. Different from my usual read, but a lot to think about.”Believable charactersDiverse charactersMulti-layered charactersRealistic settingComing of ageHeartbreakingThought-provoking
About Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is the author of the National Book Award finalist The Undocumented Americans. Her work, which focuses on race, culture, and immigration, has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, Elle, n+1, The New Inquiry, Interview, and on NPR.
Other books by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
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