Novel Description A Place Where the Sea Remembers is a haunting tale of love and anger, hope and tragedy, filled with characters who will linger long after the last page has been turned. At the heart of the story is Chayo, the flower-seller, and her husband, Candelario, the salad-maker, who may finally be blessed with the child they thought they would never have. But their cause for happiness triggers a chain of events that marks the lives of everyone in the Mexican village of Santiago. Their hopes, triumphs, shortcomings and failures form an indelible impression of a world in which destiny can hinge on the smallest of actions.

An Excerpt

"Remedios, la curandera, stands at the edge of the sea. The old healer is weary, a result, in part, of the countless times she has cocked her head in the direction of someone’s story. Remedios knows the town’s stories. Just as the sea, as their witness, knows them, too.

"Remedios looks out over the deep. Tucked under an arm is the swordfish beak that is one of her prized possessions. She has owned it for many years. Usually she keeps the sword in her hut, on her altar, la mesa santa. Not today. Today she has brought the sword to the sea because it signifies the waters and the mighty fish that live there. She has brought it because el pico de pez espada helps her find those who have drowned.

"Today Remedios awaits the one blue wave that will bring a corpse to shore. The body we wait for, she thinks, the seas will yield up. Today. Tomorrow. The sea cannot be rushed. The others wring their hands, hold their breaths on the far side of the crag, at the place where the river joins the sea. But not Remedios. El pico has led her to this spot, and it is here she’ll keep her vigil.

"Gathering her long dark skirt between her legs, Remedios squats on the shore. She lays el pico across her lap. Around her neck is the cord from which her medicine pouch hangs. The pouch rests directly over her heart and contains the secret talismans that fortify and empower her. Remedios spreads a palm over the little pouch, then reaches for the line of foamy brine rippling toward her. In the biting honesty of salt, the sea makes her secrets known to those who care to listen.. She touches a finger to her tongue and the stories come.
The sea remembers. So it is the sea retells."

Reviews

“Wonderfully realized...merits placement beside some of the mesmerizing new literature with its roots in Latin America.”
Chris Bohjalian, The New York Times Book Review

“Vivid, graceful, tautly constructed...the reader will feel the grasp of a splendid new storyteller.”
Tim O’Brien, author of The Things They Carried

“Profound in its simplicity and rhythm...a quietly stunning work that leaves soft tracks in the heart.”
The Washington Post Book World

“Its interwoven textures of family feeling may remind readers of ‘Like Water for Chocolate.’ Benitez’ light touch averts pathos and reveals why the lifestyles of Santiago exert an undeniable charm.”
The Boston Globe

“Reverberates from the first page with grace and beauty. It is a tremendous achievement. It celebrates the passion and dignity of a commonly disregarded and misunderstood culture.”
The Minnesota Daily

Readers’ Guide

Buy the Book
A Place Where the Sea Remembers. Book is available from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and your local bookstores.