Cristina Henriquez Books in Order

Eight stories and a novella explore contemporary Panama through family bonds, youthful relationships, and generational tensions. Characters navigate bereavement, infidelity, divided families, and changing fortunes, revealing how personal lives intersect with a country's shifting landscapes and culture.

While caring for her ill mother in Chicago, Miraflores discovers that her absent father once loved them both. She travels to Panama seeking him, confronting questions about her family and her place between two cultures.

The Rivera family moves from Mexico to the United States to seek help for their injured daughter, Maribel. Her connection with neighbor Mayor Toro unfolds alongside the experiences of Latin American immigrants sharing their new home.

Alberto arrives at wealthy Don Antonio's summer house hoping to earn money through maintenance work. An unexpected assignment involving Antonio's heartbroken wife, Lola, places the lonely worker between his responsibilities and his own desires.

During construction of the Panama Canal, a local laborer, a Barbadian teenager seeking money for her sister, and a scientist battling malaria become connected. Their intersecting lives reveal the ambitions, sacrifices, and conflicts behind the monumental project.