Echoes of Grace

Starred review from April 18, 2022
In this elaborately plotted gothic mystery set in modern-day South Texas, García McCall (All the Stars Denied) expertly weaves together the personal and family history of an 18-year-old with an inherited ability known as echoes—“a kind of woman’s intuition with sights and sounds and smells”—as she pieces together heartbreaking past events in the aftermath of a present-day family tragedy. Three years prior to this story’s present, Grace Torres disappeared for a week, turning up on a church pew in Mexico with no memory of how she got there. Now, following the accidental death of her nephew Alexander, ghosts begin to permeate Grace’s world in ways she can’t predict, and she must fight to understand what the echoes mean before her strained relationship with her older sister Mercy—Alexander’s mother—fractures forever. Employing a carefully guided first-person voice and sensory-rich imagery that centers nature (“The morning light pulses and wavers, making each bristle of dark hair on the caterpillar glint”), García McCall crafts a haunting, intrigue-laden update on the genre that—through critiques of generational trauma cycles wrought through femicide and gender-based violence—demands accountability and action. Protagonists are cued as of Mexican heritage. Ages 14–up. Agent: Andrea Cascardi, Transatlantic Agency.

May 1, 2022
Grades 8-12 In this riveting contemporary novel with a splash of magical realism, Garc�a McCall explores the nature of sisterhood between Graciela ("Grace") and Mercedes ("Mercy") Torres, as well as shared intergenerational trauma, familial dynamics, and love when all seems lost. After a tragic accident befalls the sisters, Grace tries to piece together both the past and the right path for their future through visions, premonitions, omens, and "echoes," a power inherited from her mother. Unearthed memories and mysterious figures from their family arise, all while Grace is balancing college, dating, and taking care of her healing sister. When it becomes clear that a specific time period--a week three years prior--may hold the key to the family secrets, Grace becomes determined to forge forward and extricate the slivers of truth from the lies, secrets, and deceit around them. As the Torres mystery unravels, Garc�a McCall plumbs these difficult experiences and sisterly conversations through Grace's intuitive and compassionate, yet impassioned, perspective.

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July 1, 2022
Sisters Grace (Graciela) and Mercy (Mercedes) have had a strong bond ever since their mother's death when they were little. But now, as they make plans to go to college together, tragedy strikes again, and their relationship breaks seemingly beyond repair. It doesn't help that Grace is experiencing more episodes of what her family calls "echoes": visions and premonitions that raise questions about her mental health. In chapters that alternate between Texas in 2011 and a trip south of the border three years earlier, Grace slowly recovers memories and uncovers clues about her mother's death, her own echoes, and a legacy of secrets. Grace knows she needs to get through the horrible memories, and she can't do it alone. But with an angry sister, an absent father, and a rude grandmother, Guelita Rosa, where will she find support? In addition, a new neighbor begs for friendship (or more), just as Grace is learning of the reality of abusive men. Can she trust this boy? Grace's story delves honestly into tough topics such as domestic violence, femicide, and the dangers of keeping secrets. McCall weaves Mexican American and border town culture and lore into a realistic, raw, poignant portrayal of family tragedy, trauma, grief, and the healing power of facing the truth with a loved one at your side. Alicia K. Long

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from April 15, 2022
Tragedy and paranormal gifting seem to stalk the Torres family in this gripping paranormal family drama. In the aftermath of their mother's murder, sisters Graciela, 18, and Mercedes, 19, have diverged from their once-shared dreams to pursue college and escape their hometown of Eagle Pass, Texas. Mercy has sought the protection and power she finds in relationships with men, while Grace has retreated into a smaller world at home, writing and drawing in her journals and getting lost in her mind, where she grapples with her family inheritance--the uninvited dreamlike echoes that invade her waking consciousness. After the tragic loss of Mercy's young son, Alexander, the visions intensify, and memories of an earlier tumultuous time spent in Mexico come rushing back. Dark foreboding and deep love mingle, but the mystery of how they are connected to Grace drives the page-turning plot. Rich with symbolism, allusions, and haunted psyches, there is a gothic edge to McCall's magical realism. Evoking a strong sense of place, the borderlands of the Rio Grande Valley are a character in their own right, and anyone familiar with Mexican folklore will see the echoes of La Llorona's tale of love and loss. This is a breathtaking story of sisterhood, familia, fighting the demons of generational trauma and femicide, and moving forward with fresh dreams despite the scars. A nouveau gothic tale with roots as deep as mesquite and a heart as wide as the Texas sky. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

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July 1, 2022
Sisters Grace (Graciela) and Mercy (Mercedes) have had a strong bond ever since their mother's death when they were little. But now, as they make plans to go to college together, tragedy strikes again, and their relationship breaks seemingly beyond repair. It doesn't help that Grace is experiencing more episodes of what her family calls "echoes": visions and premonitions that raise questions about her mental health. In chapters that alternate between Texas in 2011 and a trip south of the border three years earlier, Grace slowly recovers memories and uncovers clues about her mother's death, her own echoes, and a legacy of secrets. Grace knows she needs to get through the horrible memories, and she can't do it alone. But with an angry sister, an absent father, and a rude grandmother, Guelita Rosa, where will she find support? In addition, a new neighbor begs for friendship (or more), just as Grace is learning of the reality of abusive men. Can she trust this boy? Grace's story delves honestly into tough topics such as domestic violence, femicide, and the dangers of keeping secrets. McCall weaves Mexican American and border town culture and lore into a realistic, raw, poignant portrayal of family tragedy, trauma, grief, and the healing power of facing the truth with a loved one at your side.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)