Lost Children Archive
Lost Children Archive is a 2019 novel by writer Valeria Luiselli. Luiselli was in part inspired by the ongoing American policy of separating children from their parents at the Mexican-American border.[3] The novel is the first book Luiselli wrote in English.[3]
First edition cover | |
Author | Valeria Luiselli |
---|---|
Audio read by | Valeria Luiselli[1] Kivlighan de Montebello[1] William DeMeritt[1] Maia Enrigue Luiselli[1] |
Cover artist | Valeria Luiselli (photos; courtesy of)[2] Jenny Carrow (design)[2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Set in | New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona |
Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
Publication date | February 12, 2019 |
Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) and e-book |
Pages | 400 pp |
ISBN | 978-0-525-52061-0 |
863/.7 | |
LC Class | PQ7298.422.U37 L67 2019 |
The novel won the 2020 Rathbones Folio Prize.[4] It was also longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize[5] and the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction.[6]
Summary
The novel details a cross-country journey from New York to Arizona in a car by a husband and wife, Mama and Papa, and their children, "the girl" and "the boy," both from previous relationships.[7][8] The novel incorporates fragments from the poetry of other poets, including from poems by Anne Carson, Galway Kinnell, and Augusto Monterroso.[2] The novel's climax, "Echo Canyon", consists of a single sentence that runs for 20 pages.[9][10] The novel ends with 24 Polaroid photos provided by Luiselli, credited to the novel's fictional stepson.[11]
Reception
According to literary review aggregator Book Marks, the novel received overwhelmingly positive reviews.[12]
The book was named one of the top ten books of 2019 by the New York Times Book Review.[13] It is a finalist for the 2019 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.[14]
Translation
The novel was translated into Spanish by Luiselli and Daniel Saldaña París with the title Desierto sonoro. It was released in e-book format by Vintage Español, an imprint of Knopf Doubleday, in September 2019 and in paperback format in October 2019.[15]
References
- "Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli". Penguin Random House Audio. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- Valeria Luiselli (February 12, 2019). Lost Children Archive. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-525-52061-0.
- Sehgal, Parul (11 February 2019). "Valeria Luiselli's Latest Novel Is a Mold-Breaking New Classic". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- Flood, Alison (March 23, 2020). "Valeria Luiselli wins £30,000 Rathbones Folio prize for third novel". The Guardian. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- Jordan, Justine (July 24, 2019). "The Booker prize 2019 longlist's biggest surprise? There aren't many". The Guardian. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- Cain, Sian (March 3, 2019). "Non-binary trans author nominated for Women's prize for fiction". The Guardian. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- McAlpin, Heller (12 February 2019). "Real Life Informs A Tense Trip In 'Lost Children Archive'". NPR. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- Feathers, Lori (16 February 2019). "The Sounds of Exile: On Valeria Luiselli's "Lost Children Archive"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- Whitton, Steven (March 24, 2019). "Book review: In 'Lost Children Archive,' a family road trip collides with an immigration crisis". Associated Press. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- Corrigan, Maureen (February 27, 2019). "A New Novel Reminds Readers, These 'Lost Children' Belong To Us All". NPR. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- Millares Young, Kristen (February 12, 2019). "An author delivers a powerful plea for migrant children". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- "Lost Children Archive". Book Marks. Literary Hub. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- "The 10 Best Books of 2019". The New York Times. November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- https://www.bookcritics.org/2020/01/11/announcing-the-finalists-for-the-2019-nbcc-awards/
- "Desierto Sonoro by Valeria Luiselli". Penguin Random House. Retrieved October 23, 2019.