Spotlight on Lucrecia Guerrero and her forthcoming novel, “Tree of Sighs” (Bilingual Press)

Lucrecia Guerrero grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona. She is the daughter of an Anglo American mother and Mexican father, and her writing often reflects her bilingual and bicultural upbringing. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University, and her work has appeared in such journals as The Antioch Review and The Louisville Review. Chasing Shadows, a collection of linked short stories, was published by Chronicle Books, and she received a Christopher Isherwood Foundation Award based on a portion of her forthcoming novel, Tree of Sighs (Bilingual Pres).

From the publisher concerning Tree of Sighs: After the sudden and tragic death of her parents, Altagracia faces an uncertain future with a bitter and secretive grandmother. After the two sink into poverty, the young girl ends up with a cruel woman who takes her to the United States, changes her name to Grace, and puts her to work as a full-time domestic servant. Tree of Sighs is the story of Grace's journey to uncover her past as she straddles two cultures in the search for her own identity. After escaping servitude and imprisonment, Grace endures life on the streets and a succession of jobs, and she eventually lands in a comfortable marriage. But a phone call from a person in her past sets her on a journey to the border, where she meets a man who holds the key to her past, learns the truth about her grandmother, and ultimately finds herself.

"I have been following Lucrecia Guerrero's writing for several years with great pleasure and fascination. Tree of Sighs takes her art to a whole new level. Full, alive, and stately. This novel really delivers." —Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The Hummingbird’s Daughter