Great Divide, the \ Entre DOS Aguas

UNO DE LOS MEJORES LIBROS DE 2024 SEGÚN LA REVISTA TIME

De la aclamada autora de El libro de los americanos desconocidos, Cristina Henríquez, llega una extraordinaria novela histórica sobre la construcción del canal de Panamá un hito que partió en dos la historia del continente y las vidas de quienes lo hicieron posible.

Corre 1907 y se dice que el Canal de Panamá será la mayor obra de ingeniería que el mundo haya visto. Entre locales y foráneos bulle el entusiasmo, pero también la incertidumbre. Partir un continente en dos no será tarea fácil, y nadie puede anticipar las consecuencias para el país y para su gente.

Entre dos aguas reimagina esta hazaña desde una nueva perspectiva: la de quienes lo sacrificaron todo por el Canal. Francisco, un pescador veterano que se opone a la construcción; su hijo Omar, que trabaja en ella en condiciones inhumanas; Ada Bunting, una intrépida joven que llega de Barbados en busca de oportunidades; John Oswald, un científico que combate la malaria, y su esposa Marian, son algunos de los personajes que se reúnen aquí para contar su propia versión de este relato. Una compleja y llena de matices, que no suele aparecer en los libros de historia.

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ONE OF TIME'S MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2024

An epic novel about the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there, by Cristina Henríquez, acclaimed author of The Book of Unknown Americans

It's 1907, and it's said that the Panama Canal will be the greatest engineering feat the world has ever seen. Enthusiasm is running high among locals and foreigners alike, but so is uncertainty. Cutting a continent in two won't be easy, and no one can anticipate the consequences for the country and its people.

The Great Divide reimagines this feat from a new POV: that of those who sacrificed everything for the Canal. Francisco, a veteran fisherman who opposes the construction; his son Omar, who works on it under inhumane conditions; Ada Bunting, a fearless young woman from Barbados in search of opportunities; John Oswald, a scientist fighting malaria, and his wife Marian, are some of the characters who gather here to tell their own version of this story. A complex and nuanced one, often left out of the history books.

Cristina Henríquez is the author of The Great Divide, The Book of Unknown Americans, The World In Half, and Come Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories. She has been longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, The Oxford American, The American Scholar, and elsewhere. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She lives in Illinois.