Carmen and Grace

A Novel

By: Melissa Coss Aquino

Narrated by: Almarie Guerra, Melanie Mendez

Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

"Aquino’s debut novel explores complex ideas: how things that are threatening can also be attractive and whether a debt is owed to the people and places that shaped you."—WASHINGTON POST

“I was crying like I lost my best friend as I finished. . . . This book is an act of love . . . It will break you apart and remind you that we can all be put back together again, stronger, and wiser than before.”—XOCHITL GONZALEZ, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming

An emotionally riveting coming-of-age drama about two cousins lured into the underground drug trade at a young age and the inextricable ties that bind them, as one woman seeks power and the other seeks a way out—the debut of a vibrant and stunningly original new voice in fiction.

Carmen and Grace have been inseparable since they were little girls—more like sisters than cousins, survivors of a childhood marked by neglect and addiction and a system that never valued them. For too long, all they had was each other. That is, until Doña Durka swept into their lives and changed everything, taking Grace into her home, providing stability and support, and playing an outsize role in Carmen’s upbringing too.

Durka is more than a beneficent force in their Bronx neighborhood, though. She’s also the leader of an underground drug empire, a larger-than-life matriarch who understands the vital importance of taking what power she can in a world too often ruled by violent men. So, when Durka dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances, Carmen and Grace’s lives are thrown into chaos. Grace has been primed to take over and has grand plans to expand the business. While Carmen is ready to move on—from the shadow of Durka and her high expectations and, most of all, from always looking over her shoulder in fear. She’s also harboring a secret: she’s pregnant and starting to show, and desperate to build a new life before the baby arrives.

But how can Carmen leave the only family she’s ever known—this tight sisterhood of women known as the D. O. D., a group of lost girls turned skilled professionals under Durka’s guiding hand, all bonded in their spirituality and merciless support for one another—especially now, when outside threats are circling, and Grace’s plans are speeding recklessly forward?

As tough and tender as its main characters, Carmen and Grace will grab listeners from the first moment with its raw beauty, depth of feeling, and heart-pounding plot. A moving meditation on the choices of women and the legacy of violence, it’s a devastatingly wise and intimate story about the bonds of female friendship, ambition, and found family.

"Melissa Coss Aquino brilliantly delivers a loving novel with characters you are inspired to ride or die with. . . . If you love reading novels about creative, ambitious, and relentless women who are committed to community and making a way out of no way, read this book!"—ANGIE CRUZ, author of How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water and Dominicana

“Electric, heartrending, and exceptionally tender . . . Every sentence of Melissa Coss Aquino's debut feels acute and deliberate, a shard of glass held up to the light.”—DANYA KUKAFKA, bestselling author of Notes on an Execution

©2023 Melissa Coss Aquino (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

The bonds of sisterhood

I couldn’t put this book down. I had to keep coming back to see what was going to happen next. The passion of Grace the intuition of Carmen… the sisterhood of it all. May we see them, may we BE them, may we raise them. Without shame or judgement. Asé

A book about circumstances and choices.

Started out a little slow for me but I am glad I stuck with it. The narration of some parts made me cringe a little but nothing I couldn't get past and got better along the way. Inspiring tale for women struggling with various unfortunate circumstances.

Perfect!!

This book had me not wanting to get out of my car. Every time I listened to it I was drawn into the narratives of these beautiful characters. Well done!

A book I did not know I needed.

I loved everything about this book!! It’s a must read for the culture and a love letter to all the girls who grew up poor, brown and forgotten. We can change our reality by the choices we make. Remember to find God in yourself and love her unconditionally !!

Took me back home

This story reminded me of my youth in NYC. I loved every minute of the story line, character development, and spiritual undertones. Beautiful story of womanhood, motherhood, sisterhood, family and loss. What an honor to read this.