Cellophane: A Novel

"Memorable fiction…. Arana brings a freshness to the style that is all her own, elegant and lyrical but at the same time sparse, and no doubt enriched by a vocabulary infused with the rhythms of her two languages."—The Miami Herald"Rich in themes, symbolism, conflict and character…. It's also, for those who just want a good tale, a brilliant piece of storytelling that combines magical realism in the tradition of writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez with comedic looks at human foibles and misunderstandings a la Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream."—The Fort Worth Star-Telegram"Exuberant and virtuosic…. Conflict takes on a teeming array of forms in Cellophane: whites versus natives, religion versus magic, feudalism versus revolution. It’s a vision of the rain forest as a place where every strain of human drama grows as tangled as the encroaching vines—and in depicting this, Arana has wound her themes together with an energetic, subtly controlled wildness."—San Francisco Chronicle Books "Marie Arana's sumptuous, often erotic and wholly enchanting novel, Cellophane…. owes a debt to the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende…. A superb example of the magic that a gifted storyteller can work with ink and paper."—Los Angeles Times Book Review“Arana’s writing is both lush and funny…. This is a great book.”—People"An absolutely spellbinding tale…. Arana's prose is captivating, and she provides some incredibly beguiling moments."—Philadelphia City Paper