SALVACIÓN

Lola de la Peña defies the gendered expectations of her family and 19th-century Mexican culture as she fights burgeoning threats, both magical and human, to her home.

Mamá, Papá, Lola, and brother Víctor traveled to Alta California to fulfill Lola’s mother’s spiritual calling to heal people using sal negra, a magical substance that’s mined there. Sal negra cures any injury or malady, and people in the town of Coloma wait to be treated by Mamá. But the stories of miraculous healing draw foes as well, including white men who intend to take the resource by force as they colonize Alta California, Indigenous territory recently ceded by Mexico to U.S. control. As Coloma grows more dangerous, Lola and Víctor team up to protect people; despite her parents’ strong disapproval, Lola disguises herself as a masked woman vigilante known as Salvación. As her alter ego’s reputation spreads, so do the dangers to Lola’s family and town. When a mysterious caravan of men arrives, led by a charismatic leader who promises to restore Mexican sovereignty, they’re welcomed by the townspeople and Lola’s parents, who hope that now Salvación can retire. But a stranger’s cryptic warning means Salvación may not be ready to give up the fight. Action-packed and thrilling with a touch of romance, Proudman’s debut novel is an homage to folk hero stories told through a feminist lens. The work, which is rooted in ecological justice, effectively critiques colonialism and jingoistic nationalism.

A heartfelt, swashbuckling, standout novel.