Macmillan Caribbean Writers: The Festival of San Joaquin

Luz Marina, jailed for the murder of her violent husband, returns to her home village, hoping to leave the past behind and win back custody of her children. But first she must reckon with the ill-will of her former employer and mother-in-law, the wealthy landowner Doña Catalina, who plots to ruin Luz Marina’s chances of rebuilding her life.

This novel, set among the mestizo Spanish communities of rural Belize, gives a sympathetic and moving portrait of peasant life.