The Witches of El Paso

A middle-aged woman comes to terms with the magic harnessed by her great-aunt in this spirited gothic debut novel from Jaramillo (The Doctor’s Wife, a story collection). As a wife, mother, and high-powered lawyer, Marta is distracted by the need to care for her late grandmother’s 93-year-old sister, Nena, who now lives alone but was institutionalized as a teenager, after she claimed to have time-traveled to an 18th-century convent. In a parallel narrative, the reader learns Nena’s claim was true, and that she was summoned by witches disguised as nuns. The witches teach Nena how to harness the spirit of La Vista, a powerful force derived from nature. After she falls in love with Emiliano, the brother of one of the sisters, she uses the power to heal him from smallpox. Then Emiliano gets her pregnant, and after giving birth to a girl, the sisters send her back to her old life without the baby. Marta’s story is less developed, and the conclusion feels rushed, but Jaramillo evocatively portrays the ways in which she and Nena gain strength from the land and their family. It’s an inspired effort. Agent: Kent Wolf, Neon Literary. (Oct.)