America Is Not the Heart: A Novel by Elaine Castillo
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Named one of the best books of 2018 by NPR, Real Simple, Lit Hub, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Post, Kirkus Reviews, and The New York Public Library
"A saga rich with origin myths, national and personal . . . Castillo is part of a younger generation of American writers instilling literature with a layered sense of identity." --Vogue
How many lives fit in a lifetime?
When Hero De Vera arrives in America--haunted by the political upheaval in the Philippines and disowned by her parents--she's already on her third. Her uncle gives her a fresh start in the Bay Area, and he doesn't ask about her past. His younger wife knows enough about the might and secrecy of the De Vera family to keep her head down. But their daughter--the first American-born daughter in the family--can't resist asking Hero about her damaged hands.
An increasingly relevant story told with startling lucidity, humor, and an uncanny ear for the intimacies and shorthand of family ritual, America Is Not the Heart is a sprawling, soulful debut about three generations of women in one family struggling to balance the promise of the American dream and the unshakeable grip of history. With exuberance, grit, and sly tenderness, here is a family saga; an origin story; a romance; a narrative of two nations and the people who leave one home to grasp at another.
"Hungrily ambitious in sweep and documentary in detail, and reads like a seismograph of the aftershocks from trading one life for another . . . Like Bulosan, [Castillo] channels a righteous anger, revisiting America's historical crimes."-The New York Times Book Review
"Castillo emerges as one of 2018's boldest new voices with this debut. In exquisite prose and with transporting sweep, she tells the story of three generations of Filipino immigrants making their way in the Bay Area while trying to preserve their family's complicated legacy."-Entertainment Weekly
"This surging epic about three generations of Filipina women in the Bay Area conjures all the secret and not-so-secret wounds they carry into being Americans in a tale full of joy, anguish, and some of the best intimate scenes written in any genre all year." -The Boston Globe
"This family epic spanning from the Philippines to Milpitas, Calif., reads like a literary telenovela. It features a mysterious heroine, political upheaval and a sweeping romance. I couldn't put it down."-The New York Post
"A really rich multigenerational story . . . it's about the self and family ties and feeling that pull back to where you came from and also exploring new things."-Arianna Rebolini, Buzzfeed
"[The book] follows three generations of women from a family that immigrated from the Philippines to San Francisco, and it's a testament to the sacrifices we make for our loved ones."-BookRiot
About the Author
Elaine Castillo was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. America Is Not the Heart is her first novel.
Book Details
Pages: 432 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (April 2, 2019)
Language: English
Hardbound Details
ISBN-10 : 073522241-X
ISBN-13 : 978-07-3-522241-0
Item Weight : 1.35 pounds
Dimensions : 6.38 x 1.32 x 9.38 inches
Softbound Details
ISBN-10: 073522242-8
ISBN-13: 978-07-3-522242-7
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
Item Weight: 12.5 ounces
"A saga rich with origin myths, national and personal . . . Castillo is part of a younger generation of American writers instilling literature with a layered sense of identity." --Vogue
How many lives fit in a lifetime?
When Hero De Vera arrives in America--haunted by the political upheaval in the Philippines and disowned by her parents--she's already on her third. Her uncle gives her a fresh start in the Bay Area, and he doesn't ask about her past. His younger wife knows enough about the might and secrecy of the De Vera family to keep her head down. But their daughter--the first American-born daughter in the family--can't resist asking Hero about her damaged hands.
An increasingly relevant story told with startling lucidity, humor, and an uncanny ear for the intimacies and shorthand of family ritual, America Is Not the Heart is a sprawling, soulful debut about three generations of women in one family struggling to balance the promise of the American dream and the unshakeable grip of history. With exuberance, grit, and sly tenderness, here is a family saga; an origin story; a romance; a narrative of two nations and the people who leave one home to grasp at another.
"Hungrily ambitious in sweep and documentary in detail, and reads like a seismograph of the aftershocks from trading one life for another . . . Like Bulosan, [Castillo] channels a righteous anger, revisiting America's historical crimes."-The New York Times Book Review
"Castillo emerges as one of 2018's boldest new voices with this debut. In exquisite prose and with transporting sweep, she tells the story of three generations of Filipino immigrants making their way in the Bay Area while trying to preserve their family's complicated legacy."-Entertainment Weekly
"This surging epic about three generations of Filipina women in the Bay Area conjures all the secret and not-so-secret wounds they carry into being Americans in a tale full of joy, anguish, and some of the best intimate scenes written in any genre all year." -The Boston Globe
"This family epic spanning from the Philippines to Milpitas, Calif., reads like a literary telenovela. It features a mysterious heroine, political upheaval and a sweeping romance. I couldn't put it down."-The New York Post
"A really rich multigenerational story . . . it's about the self and family ties and feeling that pull back to where you came from and also exploring new things."-Arianna Rebolini, Buzzfeed
"[The book] follows three generations of women from a family that immigrated from the Philippines to San Francisco, and it's a testament to the sacrifices we make for our loved ones."-BookRiot
About the Author
Elaine Castillo was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. America Is Not the Heart is her first novel.
Book Details
Pages: 432 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (April 2, 2019)
Language: English
Hardbound Details
ISBN-10 : 073522241-X
ISBN-13 : 978-07-3-522241-0
Item Weight : 1.35 pounds
Dimensions : 6.38 x 1.32 x 9.38 inches
Softbound Details
ISBN-10: 073522242-8
ISBN-13: 978-07-3-522242-7
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
Item Weight: 12.5 ounces