Kirjahaku

A haunting family drama about two sisters who travel back to their family's ancestral land in the Philippines, where long-buried secrets resurface in the wake of their mother's death. Corazon de la Cruz's death shook her family to its very core, and her daughters are still picking up the pieces. Hannah is attempting to continue her mother's legacy as a doctor in Uvalde, Texas, a community that's reeling with grief after a tragic school shooting. Mari, on the other hand, has gone as far from home as possible, following an ill-fated romance across the world. Estranged from each other and from their roots in the Philippines, a distant cousin suddenly urges them to return to the island of Mindoro to settle unresolved family business. Together for the first time in years--with each other and with their Filipino relatives--the sisters find that the fate of their family's ancestral land is in their hands, and it's about to slip away. As they fight to protect their homeland, they unearth shocking secrets hidden from them by their beloved matriarch--about her life, the land, and themselves. A lush family saga and a love letter to Texas and the Philippines, Between You a River follows two sisters confronting the legacy their mother left behind, their dual identities, and the lifelong push and pull of home.

Welcome to Galveston, Texas. Population 50,241. A popular tourist destination and major shipping port, Galveston attracts millions of visitors each year. Yet of those who come to drink by the beach, few stray from the boulevards to Fish Village, the neighbourhood home to individuals who for generations have powered the island. Carly Castillo has only ever known Fish Village. Her grandmother claims that they descend from the Karankawas, an extinct indigenous Texan tribe, thereby tethering them to Galveston. But as Carly ages, she begins to imagine a life elsewhere, undefined by her family’s history. Meanwhile, her boyfriend and all-star shortstop turned seaman, Jess, treasures the salty, familiar air. He’s gotten chances to leave Galveston for bigger cities with more possibilities. But he didn’t take them then, and he sure as hell won’t now. When word spreads of a storm gathering strength offshore, building into Hurricane Ike, each Galveston resident must make a difficult decision: board up the windows and hunker down or flee inland and abandon their hard-won homes. Moving through these characters’ lives and those of the extraordinary individuals who circle them, The Last Karankawas weaves together a multitude of voices to present a lyrical, emotionally charged portrait of everyday survival. The result is an unforgettable exploration of familial inheritance, human resilience, and the histories we assign to ourselves, reminding us that the deepest bonds are forged not by blood, but by fire.