Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

No Place to Bury the Dead

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"[A] rich and lyrical tale of desperation and redemption . . . Throughout, Sainz Borgo applies stark poetry to the terrifying setting, where 'moans and cries attributed to ghosts sometimes masked executions and beatings.' It's a stunner." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[A] deeply felt meditation on migration, mourning and the simultaneous entanglement and estrangement of the living and the dead" —Los Angeles Times

Winner of the 2023 Jan Michalski Prize, a searing novel of loss and resilience that illuminates the often-overlooked human dimension of the migrant crisis, re-imagining the border as a dreamlike purgatory bridging life and death.

In an unnamed Latin American country, a mysterious plague quickly spreads, erasing the memory of anyone infected. Angustias Romero flees with her family, but their flight is tragically cut short when she loses both her children. Consumed by grief, she finds herself within the hallucinatory expanse of Mezquite––a town corrupted by greed and populated by storytellers, refugees, and violent, predatory gangs.

Here, Angustias is finally able to lay her children to rest at the Third Country, a cemetery run by the larger-than-life Visitación Salazar and a refuge beyond suffering and fear. While Visitación remains defiant in her mission to care for the dead, the cemetery she oversees is the focal point of a bitter land dispute with Alcides Abundio, the most feared landowner of the border. Caught in this power struggle, Angustias and Visitación–friends and sometimes rivals– stand their ground on a frontier where the law is dictated by violence; a surreal territory whose very nature blurs the boundaries between life and death.

Exploring what we are capable of and how far we will go when we have nothing to lose, No Place to Bury the Dead confirms Karina Sainz Borgo's importance amongst the voices of modern Latin American literature, merging thriller, western, and classic tragedy in an unforgettable and urgent novel that won the 2023 Jan Michalski Prize.

Translated from the Spanish by Elizabeth Bryer

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 16, 2024
      Venezuelan writer Sainz Borgo (It Would Be Night in Caracas) serves up a rich and lyrical tale of desperation and redemption, set during an outbreak of a plague that causes amnesia. Angustias Romero’s twin baby sons have died. Her husband, Salveiro, lacking the funds for a proper burial, is content to leave the bodies in the morgue, while Angustias, evoking the plight of Sophocles’s Antigone, determines to provide the twins with a proper resting place. She turns to a squatter named Visitación Salazar, who runs an illegal cemetery on a plot owned by “corrupt thug” Alcides Abundio. Mezquite, the site of Visitación’s cemetery, is a lawless border town controlled by Alcides, who terrorizes the residents with the mayor’s complicity. As Alcides mounts a violent campaign to seize the cemetery from Visitación and those like Angustias who support Visitación in exchange for free burials, the novel morphs into an exciting crime thriller. The mysterious plague adds to the intrigue and the tension, breaking down trust between Angustias and the taciturn Salveiro, as she worries he’s become infected. Throughout, Sainz Borgo applies stark poetry to the terrifying setting, where “moans and cries attributed to ghosts sometimes masked executions and beatings.” It’s a stunner.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Maria McCann's Spanish-accented narration sets the tone for this sweeping novel about an outbreak of a plague causing amnesia in an unnamed Latin American country. McCann employs a dramatic tone to tell the story of Angustias and her husband, who lose their infant sons while fleeing for a better life. As they search for a place to bury them, they meet larger-than-life Visitacin Salazar, who runs a cemetery in the town of Mezquite. McCann utilizes varied voices to differentiate the male and female characters. The author's short, impactful sentences and McCann's expressive narration drive home the difficult story, which captures the plight of the migrant. A translator's note at the end provides helpful context. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      July 1, 2025

      Award-winning Venezuelan writer Borgo (It Would Be Night in Caracas) crafts a haunting, brutally described novel of grief, violence, and intrigue set in a fictional Latin American country where cemeteries are contested lands. Angustias Romero is on the run, carrying her deceased babies who have fallen victim to a plague that causes amnesia. In these turbulent surroundings, poverty and chaos reign, and characters wreak havoc on those around them. The story remains bleak with deeply upsetting situations, but there is a ray of hope when Angustias befriends Visitaci�n Salazar, who runs a cemetery that is willing to bury Angustias's children. Talented voice actor Maria McCann narrates the audiobook theatrically, and the story comes alive in a way that seems like folklore. McCann fully captures Visitaci�n's larger-than-life personality and her bond with Angustias as the women bury the dead and stand guard against town tyrants. While the audio captivates, listeners may also want to check out the print version, which is made especially affecting with short, punchy chapters that end like poems. VERDICT A harrowing study of motherhood and grief, Borgo's latest is recommended for those who appreciated Peng Shepherd's The Book of M and Samanta Schweblin's Fever Dream.--Sarah-Ruth Tasko

      Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Loading