By Yuliana Ortiz Ruano, translated from Spanish (Ecuador) by Madeleine Arenivar

Winner, 2023 English PEN Translates Award

Winner, 2022 IESS Primo Romanzo Latinoamericano Award (Italy)

Named one of the 50 best books of 2022 by El País

‘Thunderously musical writing… tension that turns up the volume until your hands shake as you turn each page.’ —Primicias

Sheltered within her grandmother's fiercely protective household, Ainhoa blossoms under the guidance of her constellation of aunts—women who become her teachers, guardians, and spiritual anchors. Through Ainhoa's keen observant eyes, readers experience how music and dance – particularly during the explosive energy of Carnaval – don't merely entertain but form the very heartbeat of existence, a pulsing testament to Afro-Ecuadorian identity and resistance.

Yet beneath this tapestry of warmth and celebration, Carnaval Fever fearlessly confronts the shadows: crushing economic hardship, the heartbreak of migration, and the ever-present threat of male violence hovering at the community's edges. At its luminous core, however, this novel stands as a defiant celebration of women's resilience, collective power, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood that sustain communities through generations.

*preorders will be despatched after publication date (UK only: NOV 25)

**this title does not ship to North America