You Glow in the Dark

Bolivian writer Colanzi makes her English-language debut with a shimmering collection focused on the ruinous consequences of human folly. Some stories portray ecological disasters, such as “Atomito,” in which an otherworldly being takes hold of a community ravaged by pollution from a power plant; and “Chaco,” about a vengeful Indigenous spirit corrupting the grandson of the man who drove his people from their land to make room for an oil plant. Colanzi draws loosely on the 1987 radiation accident in Goiânia, Brazil, for the eerie title story, in which a community unknowingly embraces radioactive waste left behind by a greedy corporation. Other entries delve into folklore and religion. In “The Cave,” a pregnant woman defies convention by going out to hunt rather than resting. After she gives birth to twins, which are believed in her community to be a sign of wrongdoing, she takes a drastic and unsettling action. “The Narrow Way” depicts sisters who grow up sequestered from the outside world in their controlling church community, where they manage to find joy in music. Taken together, the stories paint an arresting portrait of corruption, industrialization, the power of nature, and supernatural forces. Readers will be captivated. Agent: Laurence Laluyaux, RCW Agency. (Feb.)