Terrestrial

The terrestrial globe was glowing with a soft, tremulous, bluish light. It’s no bigger than a football, one of us said in surprise. A football left by a child in the solar system.

When we meet Julia O’Bradeigh in Belfast, we are transported across the world and back in time. The wind and rain clears, the skies brighten, and we are in Delicias, Mexico.

This is the first of many journeys in Terrestrial, a meditative series of linked stories following the travels of a handful of young women through the fringes of Mexico and the United States.

As they journey along dusty roads and though chaotic cities, we witness the dangers they encounter, and how they combat them – from dressing as men to navigating male advances together. But we also join in their glory: the wild promise they feel from the earth’s surface, and the wonder of what there is to explore. Touching on themes of climate change, capitalism, class struggle and migration, Terrestrial asks whether you can ever belong to a place that you’re not from, and whether we truly appreciate the gifts of time and space.

Bold and intrepid, Terrestrial is the latest masterpiece from Pulitzer-winning author Cristina Rivera Garza, about the deepest ties we hold to our surroundings, and to each other.