Fear, threat, silence, and secrets become a lifestyle.
This is the story of a family, divided into three parts and set in the same majestic scenary: the Pazo de Lourizán, an impressive Galician manor house.
Lúa is a six-year-old girl who lives in Madrid during the transition period. Her mother is Galician, and her father is Andalusian. Every Christmas, Lúa watches the typical holiday postcards arrive at her house, but this time with it comes a strange envelope, which is trimmed in red and blue. Her mother refuses to reveal the origin of the letter, which will not be the only one to arrive over the years. Between Madrid, Galicia, and Andalusia, as Lúa grows up, she begins to realize that her seemingly ordinary life hides secrets that have never been revealed: her father appears in a photo dressed in a suit with a woman who is not her mother, her grandmother is called “Madrinita”, her last name doesn’t match her cousins’… Everything becomes a puzzling enigma. But as an adult, Lúa will finally be able to uncover the origin of the envelopes, which lead her to plan a trip to London…
A leap back in time takes us to the years leading up to the Spanish Civil War. In Marín we meet Xoana, a young woman with scarce economic resources who fights against a family that disregards her, and against her neighbors, who despise her based on a simple rumour. Xoana manages to find a job at the local fish market, where she meets Aldo, the eldest son of the renowned Carballo family, who are the owners of the market. Despite the social distance that separates them, Aldo and Xoana fall in love and begin to dream of a simple life together. However, their class difference makes this impossible: Aldo’s family wants to marry him off to the daughter of the Saraiva family, an aristocratic family.
The two timelines intertwine in the book’s third part, which takes place in the late 1980s. Lúa moves to London as an au pair, to find the sender of those mysterious letters— her uncle. Then, she finally discovers the truth about her past, the identity of her mother Nita, the best-hidden secret of the Carballo family, and the misfortunes that have haunted her own family for years.
RELEVANT INFORMATION: This novel is based on true events, as it takes inspiration from the author’s family history. However, the story can resonate with many of us as it resembles the reality of our ancestors in many aspects.
The story’s main setting, the Palace of Lourizán, is also a real building in Pontevedra. With this book, the author, Lola Fernández Pazo, invites readers to discover this abandoned Galician treasure that has been part of its landscape since the 19th century.
The Palace of Lourizán stands out for its realism and rawness of the period in which the story unfolds, setting it apart from other similar stories. The book’s mastery has been recognized by industry professionals, as it has been a finalist for the prestigious Writers with History Historical Novel Award.
What the critics have said:
“A fantastic family story that delves into Galician customs and magic.” Melania’s Library
“A novel that transports us to a recent past of our country where class differences were very evident […] a secret that gets buried within a family, never to be spoken of, as if it were a shame. Characters I have loved […] What can I say about Lola’s writing style? Delicate, simple, and immersive, making you fully immerse yourself in her words.” Raquel San Martín (Rachel in her Ink)
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Film, TV Movie.
LANGUAGES AVAILABLE: Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician.
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