The People of Paper - by Salvador Plascencia Paperback

About the Book

Part memoir, part lies, this imaginative tale is a story about loving a woman made of paper, about the wounds made by first love and sharp objects.

Book Synopsis

The People of Paper is an astonishing debut novel about the anguish of lost love. Author Salvador Plascencia, a "once-in-a-generation talent" (George Saunders), weaves together the stories of a large cast of colorful characters, including: a disgruntled monk, a gang of carnation pickers, and a woman made of paper.

"Wonderful and comically inventive." --The New York Times Book Review

Federico de la Fe is a devoted husband and father, but when his lime-loving wife, Merced, abandons him, he and his daughter, Little Merced (who also loves limes), must start a new life together. They leave their home in Mexico and head for California. There they settle among a community of flower pickers, where Federico de la Fe's sadness festers, and Little Merced develops a dangerous addiction to limes.

All the while an oppressive force bears down on the town. When the identity of this mysterious oppressor is finally revealed, the story takes an unexpected turn and moves toward its magical, breathtaking end.

From the Back Cover

"The People of Paper is a novel like no other . . . Calvino, Borges, and Garcia Marquez will come to mind, but Plascencia's novel is a creature of its own, firmly grounded and soaring at the same time."--T. C. Boyle

Federico de la Fe is a devoted husband and father, but his lime-loving wife, Merced, abandons him, and he and his daughter, Little Merced (who also loves limes), must start a new life together. They leave their home in Mexico and head for California, where they settle among a community of flower-pickers. Federico de la Fe s sadness festers, and Little Merced s love for limes develops into a dangerous addiction.
All the while, an oppressive force bears down on the town. When the identity of this mysterious oppressor is finally revealed, the story takes an unexpected turn and moves toward its magical, breathtaking end. A mesmerizing debut novel about the anguish of lost love, ThePeople of Papermarks the arrival of an incredibly talented new writer.
"Wondrous and comically inventive." The New York Times Book Review
"[A] charming meditation on the relationship between reader, author, and story line, filled with mythic imagery and unforgettable personalities . . . Readers will find it hard to turn away from The People of Paper. A."--Entertainment Weekly
"A nervy new voice." San Francisco Chronicle
"[I]mpressive on terms anyone can appreciate."--Los Angeles Times

SALVADOR PLASCENCIA was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and now lives in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of Whittier College and holds an MFA from Syracuse University. ThePeople of Paper is his first novel.
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Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR THE PEOPLE OF PAPER

"Salvador Plascencia's surrealistic metanovel, styled a la García Márquez, is a charming meditation on the relationship between reader, author, and story line, filled with mythic imagery . . . and unforgettable personalities . . . Readers will find it hard to turn away from The People of Paper. A."--Entertainment Weekly

"A nervy new voice . . . Finally, beyond all the experimental devices, fairy-tale antics and fabulist inclination, Plascencia's novel is a story of lost love."--San Francisco Chronicle