Purgatoire

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Description

Purgatoire follows a family of Northern Italian immigrants who come to Colorado at the start of the twentieth century in search of a better life, but instead find themselves struggling for freedom in a society that demands toughness from men and tries to extinguish the fire in women. As discrimination, extortion, and Prohibition close in on them, the men succumb to drinking, crime, and mental illness, while the women find strength in themselves, and in each other, to survive.

Set in Colorado's rural mining communities, Purgatoire traces how the shame and secrecy of one man's abandonment haunts the family for generations. Based on Prato's paternal ancestors, the characters include a single mother-turned saloon girl, a violin protegee who loses his grip on reality, a merchant facing extortion from the vengeful Mano Nera, an immortal cat yearning for family, a bootlegger and his teenage daughter, and stranded souls who narrate, speak, and interfere-sometimes with tragic consequences.

Reviews

Praise for Kids in America: A Gen X Reckoning

"A dazzling exploration into how cultures and identities criss-cross each other."

--Lidia Yuknavitch, author of Thrust and The Chronology of Water

"In blending her cultural critique with personal stories, Prato calls to mind Joan Didion's later writing."

--Spectrum Culture

Praise for Volcanoes, Palm Trees, and Privilege

" . . . a rebuke to cultural appropriation, combined with tribute to a place she loves too much to make her own."

--The New York Times

"I was moved and astonished by this beautiful book.

--Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things

"Liz Prato is beautifully smart about how disempowerment works, and how to combat it."

--Jim Shepard, author of The Book of Aron

Praise for Baby's on Fire: Stories

"Liz Prato's character's blaze with humanity, sensuality, and hope."

--Dylan Landis, author of Rainey Royal

"Liz Prato's stories are filled with the lost, the lonely and the damned, and she makes all of them sing with a haunting grandeur."

--Steve Almond, author of Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow

"I'll remember the name Liz Prato and not hesitate to join her again on the page."

--Denise Hill, New Pages

"Prato's . . . language is breezy and deceptively casual, while her content is visceral. She reminds us that hope is bigger than our relative smallness."

--Laryssa Wirstiuk, Atticus Review

"A brilliant collection."

--JR Scrafford, Washington Independent Review of Books

Author Bio

Liz Prato's previous books include Kids in America: A Gen X Reckoning, Volcanoes, PalmTrees, and Privilege: Essays on Hawai'i, a New York Times for the Oregon Book Award, and Baby's on Fire: Storiesand palm trees. www.lizprato.com