Description: In this remarkably imaginative first novel, written with humor and insight, Collignon delivers a magical mix of past and present, of living and dead. No one is more surprised than Ramona Montoya when her sister-in-law sits up in her coffin at her funeral and asks Ramona to care for her son, Jose. Although she doesn't understand what she's seen, Ramona complies. When other departed members of the family arrive, Ramona realizes they have returned to set things right in the family. Ramona's long-dead grandmother hands her the generations-old journal of Antonio Montoya, because Ramona, she says, has so many questions. Inside the worn pages lies the vibrant, unfinished history -- and soul -- of the village of Guadalupe. On a wondrous night of snow and stars, Ramona discovers the secret to her village and her family's survival.

As in Laura Esquivel's wildly popular novel Like Water for Chocolate, where everyday encounters are bewitching, Collignon so richly evokes the sounds, smells and sights of this endearing Mexican village that readers will find themselves enticed by the aroma of beans and chile wafting from the kitchen. And they will crave more.

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