Juli Delgado Lopera reaches deep to expertly voice, in a heady blend of Spanish and English, the story of fifteen-year-old Francisca, a recent Colombian transplant now living in Miami with her mother and grandmother. They insist Francisca attend a baptism for her dead brother, Sebastien, at their evangelical church in the Hyatt Hotel. Francisca’s not keen on the idea, but she becomes very keen on the pastor’s daughter, Carmen. The deeper into the church Mami and La Tata get, the deeper Francisca falls in love with Carmen until not even Jesús can help.
Fiebre Tropical, by Juli Delgado Lopera. Published by Feminist Press. The editor is Lauren Rosemary Hook; the agent is Emma Paterson. Fiebre Tropical is a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction, presented by the Ferro-Grumley Foundation in conjunction with the Publishing Triangle; the winner will be announced on May 12.