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CAROLINA DE ROBERTIS was raised in England, Switzerland, and California by Uruguayan parents. Her debut novel, The Invisible Mountain (Knopf, 2009), is being published in ten countries and nine languages. Her fiction, nonfiction, and literary translations have appeared in ColorLines, The Virginia Quarterly Review, and the Indiana Review, among others. She is the recipient of a 2008 Hedgebrook Residency for Women Authoring Change, and her translation of the Chilean novella Bonsai by Alejandro Zambra was named one of the Ten Best Translated Books of 2008 by Three Percent. She lives in Oakland, California, where she is at work on her second novel.
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THE INVISIBLE MOUNTAIN
Alfred A. Knopf – August 25, 2009 A gripping and lyrical story—at once expansive and lush with detail—this debut novel is a deeply intimate exploration of the search for love and authenticity, power and redemption, in the lives of three women, and a penetrating portrait of a small, tenacious nation, Uruguay, shaken in the gales of the twentieth century. On the first day of the millennium, a small town gathers to witness a miracle and unravel its portents for the century: the mysterious reappearance of a lost infant, Pajarita. Later, as a young woman in the capital city—Montevideo, brimming with growth and promise—Pajarita begins a lineage of fiercely independent women. Her daughter, Eva, survives a brutal childhood to pursue her dreams as a rebellious poet and along the hazardous precipices of erotic love. Salomé, awakening to both her sensuality and political convictions amidst the violent turmoil of the late 1960s, finds herself dangerously attracted to a cadre of urban guerilla rebels, despite the terrible consequences toward which such principled fearlessness can lead. But what saves them all is the fierce fortifying connection between mother and daughter that will bring them together to face the future. From Perón’s glittering Buenos Aires to the rustic hills of Rio de Janeiro, from the haven of a corner butchershop in Montevideo to U.S. embassy halls, the Firielli family traverses a changing South America and the uncharted terrain of their relationships with one another. Read “A Conversation with Carolina De Robertis” on Knopf’s website AUDIO: An Interview with Carolina De Robertis Praise for THE INVISIBLE MOUNTAIN Top 10 Reads of 2009 by O, The Oprah Magazine Top 10 First Novels of 2009 by Booklist Top 100 Books of 2009 by The San Francisco Chronicle #1 New Latino Author to Watch in 2010 by LatinoStories.com “Carolina De Robertis is a writer of uncanny wisdom and an alchemist of words. With The Invisible Mountain, she has introduced us to an unfamiliar landscape of harsh contradictions and of the heavy burden history often plays in the shaping and altering of lives on the brink of change. The Invisible Mountain introduces a gifted literary voice mapping the uncharted territories of the Americas in a fearless new way.”—Alex Espinoza, author of Still Water Saints “With this marvelous novel, Carolina De Robertis brings to vivid life the history and culture of Uruguay, a country too-long neglected in the consciousness of the Americas. Bold, passionate, and filled with songs both ecstatic and tragic, De Robertis tells the stories of three generations of women whose lives transcend the ordinary.”—Cristina García, author of Dreaming in Cuban “A lyrical, haunting story about three generations of an extraordinary family, and an evocative tribute to the endurance of women and the spirit of poetry.”—Diana Gabaldon, author of The Outlander series “With grace, fluidity and a modicum of magic, an extraordinary and passionate family navigates the social and political landscapes of South America. The Invisible Mountain is a wonderful story; and De Robertis is a writer to watch.”—Matthew Aaron Goodman, author of Hold Love Strong “This visionary book beautifully, bravely breaks open all the old secrets.”—Elle “This debut about three generations of strong women in late 20th-century Uruguay is the brainiest dynastic novel in years. A high-end, Euro Danielle Steel story full of sex, politics and family—with just a little bit of magical realism to give literary heft to the whole delightful concoction.”—The Daily Beast, 13 Hottest Summer Reads “Miracles, poetry and guerilla fighters march through the 20th century in De Robertis’ winning debut, a beautifully wrought novel of Uruguay.“—Kirkus Reviews “It has many similarities to A Thousand Splendid Suns, but I found The Invisible Mountain to be the better written of the two.“—Farm Lane Books Blog “De Robertis has created a vivid new landscape, both internal and external…“—The Philadelphia Inquirer “This novel is beautifully written yet deliberate in its storytelling…An extraordinary first effort whose epic scope and deft handling reverberate with the deep pull of ancestry, the powerful influence of one’s country and the sacrifices of reinvention.“—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review “The Invisible Mountain winds up being the kind of novel you stay up late to finish and lie awake thinking about. It is breathless, full of tenderness; despite its grim political realities, a faint, fairy-tale quality lights it…But the novel’s triumph—brought to a high polish in an unforgettable final scene—is its ensemble of women and men, bent on living every moment as if on fire, answering the great question of life (how, then, to live?) as passionately, with as much teeth-rattling urgency, as they humanly can.“—San Francisco Chronicle “The Invisible Mountain is a poetic and absorbing generational epic that pays tribute to a colorful culture and amazing history. De Robertis is a promising young writer, and we can only hope there is much more to come from her.“—BookPage “Impressive and exotic…This is an epic with enough going on upstairs to ensure it is both entertaining and satisfying.“—Otago Daily Times (New Zealand) “[De Robertis’s] writing is strong and assured, particularly for a debut novel, and her powers of describing Uruguay, an oft-overlooked country in the Western hemisphere, bring that tiny country to vibrant life.“—The Onion “The Invisible Mountain has the body of an epic and the soul of a sassy, sexy storyteller.“—Paste Magazine “The Invisible Mountain does what the best, most readable novels do: It tells a compelling human story about identity while also quietly evoking a place and time.“—O Magazine, “10 Terrific Reads of 2009” “This is a richly textured and nuanced work of women, survival, the families we are born into, and those we choose to inhabit. Translator, short fiction writer, and first-time novelist De Robertis draws on family fact and legend to bring Montevideo and its stories to life with rewarding effect.“—Library Journal “Carolina De Robertis’s first novel is an intimate history of one family in Uruguay…a love letter to a country and a people.“—ColorLines |
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