Because Venus Crossed An Alpine Violet On The Day That I Was Born by Mona Høvring, trans. Kari Dickson and Rachel Rankin

In a hotel, high up in a mountain village, two sisters aim to reconnect after distant years that contrast their close, almost twin-like upbringing. Martha has just been discharged from a sanatorium after a mental breakdown. Ella agrees to keep her company in the hope that the clean winter air will provide clarity—and a way back to their childhood connection.

A Brief Review of Damiana’s Reprieve, and a Conversation With its Author, Martha Bátiz

Mexican-Canadian writer Martha Bátiz is the author, amongst other works, of a particularly alluring novella, Damiana’s Reprieve (Exile Editions, 2018). With the backdrop of Italian Opera The Marriage of Figaro, the life of opera singer Damiana, and that of her family develop amidst sibling rivalry and a family mystery that relentlessly pulls the reader in.