The Great Divide

(Paperback)

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A gorgeous, sweeping epic I loved it Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful

A sweeping historical novel following the astonishing construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived and labored in its shadow by acclaimed author Cristina Henrquez
It is said that the Canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built.

Ada Bunting is a bold sixteen-year-old from Barbados who arrives alone in Panama as a stowaway alongside thousands of other West Indians seeking work in the grand building project of the Canal. Francisco, a local fisherman resents the foreign nations clamouring for a slice of his country, but nothing is more upsetting for him than his son Omars decision to work as a digger. For Omar, whose upbringing was quiet and lonely, this job offers a chance to finally find connection and independence. Scientist John Oswald has come from further afield. He has journeyed to Panama in pursuit of one goal: eliminating malaria. But everything hangs in the balance as his wife Marian falls ill herself.

When John witnesses an act of bravery and compassion from Ada one day, he hires her on the spot as a caregiver for his wife. This fateful decision sets in motion a sweeping tale of ambition, loyalty, and sacrifice.

Breathtaking and impossible to put down, The Great Divide explores the lives of the labourers, fishmongers, journalists, protesters, doctors and soothsayers who lived alongside the construction of the Canal those rarely acknowledged by history even as they carved out its course.

Reviews

Praise for The Great Divide:

A gorgeous, sweeping epic that draws together a truly unforgettable cast of characters. I loved it Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful

Henriquez gives us cause to celebrate with this sweeping novel. It speeds us into a wild world of adventure and danger, epic visions There isnt another book like it. A welcome return by one of our finest voices Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The House of Broken Angels

Henriquezs commanding and fearless prose conducts us through the very depth of the Panamanian jungle, where young Ada and Omar fight bravely for themselves, their families and their communities survival in a rapidly changing world By turns macabre and also truly joyful, The Great Divide left me with a powerful ache for forgotten histories that will not soon leave me Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming

Praise for The Book of Unknown Americans:

Powerful . Henrquez gives us unforgettable characters whose resilience yields a most profound and unexpected kind of beauty Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being

'Distinctively compassionate and original Extraordinary' Heidi Julavits, author of The Vanishings

'Unforgettable: an important story about family, community, and identity, told with elegance and compassion' Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins

Powerful Moving [Henrquez has] myriad gifts as a writer New York Times

'Characters are as vivid as they are resilient' Elle

'Vivid Striking A ringing paean to love in general: to the love between man and wife, parent and child, outsider and newcomer, pilgrims and promised land' The Washington Post

Author Bio

Cristina Henrquez is the author of The Book of Unknown Americans. It was also longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Henrquez is also the author of The World In Half and Come Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, The Oxford American, The American Scholar, and elsewhere. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She lives in Illinois.