Carnaval Fever by Yuliana Ortiz Ruano

A mesmerising lyrical debut from one of Latin America’s most electrifying voices, immerses readers in the life of Ainhoa, a young girl coming of age in the vibrant Afro-descendant community of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, during the turbulent 1990s.

Sheltered within her grandmother’s fiercely protective household, Ainhoa blossoms under the guidance of her constellation of aunts women who become her teachers, guardians, and spiritual anchors. Through Ainhoa’s keen observant eyes, readers experience how music and dance particularly during the explosive energy of Carnaval don’t merely entertain but form the very heartbeat of existence, a pulsing testament to Afro-Ecuadorian identity and resistance.

Yet beneath this tapestry of warmth and celebration, Carnaval Fever fearlessly confronts the shadows: crushing economic hardship, the heartbreak of migration, and the ever-present threat of male violence hovering at the community’s edges. At its luminous core, however, this novel stands as a defiant celebration of women’s resilience, collective power, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood that sustain communities through generations.