by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, 2019
A group of short stories, each centered around a female Latina or Indigenous or mixed-race and mostly set in Denver or the fictional town of Saguarita in Southwestern Colorado. Beautifully written; powerful sense of place and characters, but oh so sad. All poor, all making decisions that ultimately hurt them. The endings of each story are vague as to the exact outcomes. For example, the title story, Sabrina and Corina, about cousins; beautiful Sabrina becomes a drug addict (I think) and dies of an overdose (I think). The other (Corina), is a makeup artist at a department store and stays clear of addiction, but dearly loves her cousin and watches her deteriorate. She ends up having to make up Sabrina in her coffin, to hide something on her neck.
Each story was moving and as you read, you are there with them. This was the Fort Collins “One Book-One City” selection for 2021. Powerful and sad. She is an excellent writer.