Set amidst the outsider worlds of New York, Los Angeles, and Mexico City, Like Son is the not-so-simple story of a father, a son, and the love blindness shared between them.
Meet Frank Cruz: a post-punk thirty-year-old who
unwittingly inherits his dead father's legacy. Born a bouncing baby
girl named Francisca to parents tangled in a doomed love affair, Frank
grows up in both the poorest barrios and poshest hills of Southern
California. At the age of eighteen, Frank leaves
for the big city, but is pulled back into helping his estranged
and blind father navigate an untimely death. Upon his death, Frank's
father leaves his only child a mysterious crumbling photograph of a woman with a
stunning gaze: Nahui Olin, a captivating member of the early 20th century
Mexican avant-garde who once brought tragedy upon the Cruz family.
Punctured to his core by Nahui, Frank takes her portrait and
flees to New York City to start anew—this time for real. There he
meets fiery and eccentric Nathalie. The two fall in
love, but after seven years of happy-go-lucky life together, in
September 2001 the New York skyline tumbles, and Frank finds himself
smack in the middle of his predestined fate.
* * 2008 Ferro-Grumley Award Finalist * *
"Lemus doesn't waste a word in this smart novel." -Publishers Weekly
"[A] powerfully written chronicle of love." -Booklist
"Lemus is a writer with a serious voice." -Time Out New York
"A writer with an unparalleled literary style and attitude, Felicia
Luna Lemus comes charging full force." -El Paso Times
"[A] must read
book." -Latina Magazine
"Felicia Luna Lemus is a literary alchemist: she combines words that you
never before thought could exist in the same sentence. She breaks all
the rules and makes you wonder why you thought there were any. But
enough about her style...The characters in Like Son are truly original
creations—it would take a heart of stone not to love them." -Vendela Vida, author of Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name
"Felicia
Luna Lemus' fresh yet plain-spoken prose roots us in today's sad and
sweeping chaos, as hope, love, and wild myth propel her unique
characters into an unknown future. Like Son is a sweet song of a story." -Michelle Tea, author of Rose of No Man's Land
"Like Son
is a love story that, like a psychic's trick, leaves nothing unbent:
not gender, not culture north and south of the border, not time, or
friendship, not even love itself. Don't try to understand how it
happens; just watch, and be amazed." -Paul La Farge, author of Haussmann, or the Distinction
"Like Son moves on the wings of a soulful, visceral kind of androgeny.
Old men, young men, hot girls—all step forward and sing from their
stuttering hearts. Like Son is one terrific read." -Eileen Myles, author of Cool for You
"Like Son is revelatory: a truly original exploration of the complex
relationships that shape a wonderfully complicated protaganist. This is
intimate storytelling of the best kind." -Joe Meno, author of Hairstyles of the Damned
"Buckle up, doll. I
promise I'll try not to tangle your quinceñaera dress." So begins the
adventure of Leticia Marisol Estrella Torez, who moves north to Los
Angeles in an attempt to break from her past: from starched dresses and
sleek, tight braids, from Nana, the traditional grandmother who raised
her, and from Weeping Woman, the siren of Mexican
folklore who flies through night skies to steal troublesome
children and who embodies, in many ways, Leti's first love. As Leti
immerses herself in Los Angeles' post-queer hipster scene,
navigating the twisting road of her own shifting gender and falling
deep into "papaya lush blush" love, she rediscovers the strength and
meaning of familia. A striking debut novel, Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties turns tradition on its head while laying flowers at its feet.
"Lemus is a truly talented storyteller. Highly recommended." -Library Journal
"A spry debut from a writer who's got the skills." -Kirkus Reviews
"An edgy, exuberant debut novel. The sex is fun, rollicking and a
little dangerous; the characters are young and guardedly
optimistic...this is an intriguing novel sure to attract readers
searching for something urban, lively and a bit different." -Publishers Weekly
"Lemus' debut, a gen-X coming-of-age story, has a breezy tone that
keeps the pages turning. Engagingly told...this tale will charm and
earn this first-time author a following." -Booklist
"Bursting at the seams with pizzazz and invention..." -The San Francisco Chronicle
"An edgy and risky debut that leaps over clichés and lands in the
center of the modern-day intricacies of a new generation...Felicia Luna
Lemus will indeed be declared a trail-blazing writer." -El Paso Times
"[O]ffers deep insights into familia and cultura without an ounce of heavy-handedness." -Latina Magazine
"Dares to be bold." -Hispanic Magazine
"Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties is a wild ride that's worth every damn cent you spent for the ticket!" -Helena María Viramontes, author of Under the Feet of Jesus
"Nimble and well written, this is also a book of transgressions, and a breath of fresh air in the contemporary Chicana narrative." -Mayra Montero, author of Deep Purple
"Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties is a well-crafted and very refreshing debut novel, a welcome contribution to Chicana letters from the new generation." -Ana Castillo, author of The Mixquiahuala Letters
