M.M. Olivas's debut novel is an immersive supernatural horror narrative that pulls from Mesoamerican myth and foregrounds queer and diasporic experiences. Sundown in San Ojuela centers on Elizabeth Remolina's return to her hometown of San Ojuela to handle her Tía Marisol's estate. When she arrives, Elizabeth discovers exactly how much has changed since she left.
She reunites with Julian, her childhood friend, but quickly learns that he's changed too, the result of consorting with dark powers, the ancient gods and monsters that stalk San Ojuela. These creatures and the novel's desert setting are rendered in vivid, singular prose that powers the story forward.
Olivas explores tangled questions of identity, such as what it means to be descended from colonizers or Indigenous people--or both. Elizabeth's mother never taught her daughter about her Latino heritage, a disconnect that adds complexity to the protagonist, her family, and the world of the narrative. These familial and generational conflicts are artfully woven into the horror of the story.
Olivas writes each character in a distinct style, bringing a mix of perspectives and giving an engagingly varied texture to the prose. The descriptions are particularly gorgeous. For instance, as a sheriff investigates a series of strange disappearances, he narrates, "It's only two hours into my shift and there's sleeplessness crumbling from my eyes. He's right off the 74, a back road along a ridge with orange groves not too far off. The tang of them perfumes the smoke-clotted air."
Sundown in San Ojuela is a thoughtful, multifaceted horror novel filled with complex characters and atmospheric writing. --Carol Caley, writer