Karina Saint Borgo’s No Place to Bury the Dead is an intense and unrelenting story that grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go. The plot is intricately woven and demands this level of intensity to truly unfold its complexities. Borgo centers the narrative around the migrant crisis, offering a poignant and eye-opening exploration of the hardships and resilience of those affected.

Karina Sainz Borgo's No Place to Bury the Dead, is a poignant, heartfelt, and at the same time, heartbreaking story that gives a slight insight to the horror and desperation that goes on in some of the daily lives of the immigrant travelers. This book tells the story of a parents loss, not once but twice, and the extreme lengths that parent will go through to make sure the children are able to be laid to rest in a somewhat calm, decent area, instead of just thrown own like last week's garbage. The details in this book are so rich and vivid, the reader is instantly transported into the lives of the characters, where you can't help but feel everything they are going through. By the time you finish the book, you will have cried, laughed, shouted, and demanded why right along with the main character, and when you lay the book down for the last time, you will look at our current events through a whole new perspective.

Karina Sainz Borgo's "No Place to Bury the Dead" is a searing and unforgettable novel that throws readers into the heart of a dystopian Venezuela. Through the eyes of Adelaida Falcón, a young woman struggling to survive in a country ravaged by political turmoil and social unrest, we witness the devastating consequences of a nation in freefall.

Sainz Borgo's writing is raw and visceral, painting a vivid picture of a society consumed by hunger, violence, and despair. Despite the bleakness of the setting, Adelaida's story is one of resilience, determination, and the unwavering human spirit. Her journey is both heartbreaking and inspiring, as she fights to protect those she loves and find a glimmer of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.

While the novel is fictional, it draws heavily from the real-life crisis in Venezuela, making it a timely and important read. Sainz Borgo's unflinching portrayal of the political corruption, social inequality, and human suffering that have plagued the country serves as a powerful indictment of authoritarian regimes and a reminder of the importance of democracy and human rights.

Overall, "No Place to Bury the Dead" is a gut-wrenching yet essential read. It is a testament to the power of literature to shed light on critical humanitarian crises and to give voice to those who are often silenced. Though it is a difficult and emotional journey, it is one that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

I thought that the premise was very promising. The corruption and greed of those in power affect the lives of many was super heartbreaking to watch. However, after a third of the book it just felt lackluster. I wish that it didn't feel fragmented. I think something was missing for me when reading this book and I just wish I felt connected to the characters but I did not, especially in the last half of the book.

In this dystopian tale, there has been a plague that causes people to migrate and leave their homes, but they can't remember why. No Place to Bury the Dead is a horrifyingly realistic account of a couple and their twins who traverse to the Third Country. However, on their journey they encounter a myriad of problems.

This harrowing book includes themes of grief, migration, survival, and power.

I enjoyed the structural choices of the author: short chapters and a host of POVs that blend to propel the plot toward. I also enjoyed seeing the development of the positions/ hierarchies of power.

Overall, this was a powerful read with a host of metaphors for the horrors immigrants face.

4.5 ⭐

I hate to say it, but I wish I hadn't opened this book. The rape scene of the man.... revolting. Thiswas over-the-top gross.

I was at about 30% into the book but I unfortunately had to put it down due to the sexual abuse in chapter 23. Just for my own mental health, unfortunately , I couldn’t keep going incase there was more of that. But up until that scene the story was very raw and interesting.

It was the title that drew me in. I am glad to say, I was not disappointed, not one bit!!! Karina Sainz Borgo was a new author to me, and I look forward to reading more of her works The scenery/ backdrop was very descriptive to surround the wonderful characters.

I was not expecting how quickly I would be able to read this, however that is not to detract from the book at all. I found the structure of it fascinating and almost like snapshots of what is occuring and a reflection of the chaos that erupts from an apopcalyptic world.

No Place to Bury the Dead takes place in a world where a virus that causes the infected to lose their memory before dying becomes a pandemic and refugees are now fleeing to different parts of an unnamed country in Latin America in an attempt to outrun the virus. Cities and towns in this country are short on resources, women are being caught up in human trafficking or abuse, and of course, cities and towns are running out of space to bury the dead. This book shifts between the perspective of one woman, Angustias, who has fled with her husband and newborn twins, and finds solace and a place to stay with the operator of a remaining fuctioning cemetary, Visitación Salazar, and the perspective of the town mayor, Aurelio Ortiz, who is effectively a puppet of Alcides Abundio who is the richest man and owns most of the land the town is on.

I appreciated how this book focused primarily on the personal losses and struggles that come from fleeing and then living through traumatic events. This book also captured the chaos and fear stemming from what effectively was a breakdown in society with the mayor, who is dealing with a population influx his town cannot support, being beholden to out of control, violent mercenaries operating both on behalf of Abundio and for their own gain.

In terms of the structure, each chapter is very short which heightens the effect of seeing small snapshots of the devastating effects this type of upheaval has on day to day life and the combination of mundane with horrific loss. This book however is not completely about loss and devastation, it is about perserverance and finding small bits of hope wherever you can.

The only detraction from this book was Angustias' relationship with her husband and the path he takes while she is living with Visitación which I wish could have been explored more. He pretty much was just "dead weight" the whole time as the book describes him.

I read this book in English translated from the original Spanish.

Many thanks to HarperVia and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

I very much enjoyed this book. A new author for me that I look forward to so much more by. Highly recommend. Great characters and a very rich storyline. I read in one sitting. Dreamy and surreal.

Incredibly haunting and poetic tale that makes you think long and hard about the migrant crisis. What would you do to live? Is there any limit to what you would leave behind? To what you would do to push forward? Went in expecting the worst that humanity has to offer and was not disappointed.

If you have an issues with sexual violence, death, murder, or insinuations of slavery, I would sit this one out. I think the sexual/parental issues that were present throughout the novel turned me off a bit, but the language and translation were incredible. I can already tell that this book will stick with me for months to come.

This is a quick read- short chapters make it a little easier to get through. Don’t be fooled though, these chapters are poignant, rough, and speak matter-of-factly about some heavy topics. In a hopeless, post-apocalyptic setting, this was a new approach. It did at times seem like certain things were missing- scenes were referred to that the reader wasn’t privy to. I wonder if the writing was a little rushed? But overall, a tough, good book.

This wasn't a bad book at all I loved the descriptions of the land where the book was set. I will say some of the plot points with the rival landowners was a bit much. Not bad though I also loved that this was a translated book. I will always support latine authors. I also loved the cover of the book I dont know why though the plot didn't quite connect for me. I still loved everything else about it so i give it 3.5 stars I just couldn't get over how many things were happening around this woman trying to grief her children.

The premise and cover of this book interested me right away. It's a dystopian story set in Mexico and revolving around individuals trying to maintain or gain power in the ways that they still can in a crumbling society. I enjoyed the women within the story. This is especially true for Angustius, who was dealing with a crippling grief over the loss of her infant sons and trying to make important new connections with other people as she lived through it.
I hoped to enjoy this story a bit more than I did. I'm not sure if some things got lost in the translation process, but the book felt sort of choppily put together. A passage from the translator at the end of the book stated that she was trying to make short and impactful sentences to carry us through the story. However, I feel like this left the book feeling a little rushed and sometimes unfinished. I would have liked to dwell on some more history of the world itself, and of the people within it.
I did enjoy the book overall, and there was certainly enough action to keep me going, but I would be interested to know how it compares to the original Spanish version.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for providing me with this arc for my honest review.

I initially requested an ARC of this book purely based upon the title. No Place to Bury The Dead by Karina Sainz Borgo had such a unique storyline and incredible plot. This one made me feel all the feels and I will probably be thinking about this book for a long time. Such an amazing story dealing with grief, loss, adversity, and resiliency. Just FYI- this is not a happy, feel good book. If you’re good with that, definitely read this one!!

Thank you NetGalley & HarperVia for an ARC copy of this book.

No Place to Bury the Dead focuses on--as the translation note at the end points out; the crumbling world from the positionality of who has power, how can someone else take it, and the play of power means when death is so prevalent. I say when death is prevalent as if it isn't something faced with our own mortalities but here it is so explicit that death is everywhere and is itself a form of power. I found the translation spot on for capturing these questions and really pushing grief, violence, power, and death to the forefront. The book itself is well constructed; I liked the super short chapters that build on top of each other like weird, uncomfortable bricks, but I recognize that as this isn't a perfectly streamlined story may not work for everyone. But if you're willing to give this book time, it'll return it with pain.

Would you continue to do what you believed was right, even if it might kill you? That’s the choice Visitación Salazar makes every day. And our protagonist, Angustias Romero joins her.

The author, Katrina, brings us into a world of poverty, sickness, brutality, violence, and power with this novel. She doesn’t try to fluff up or lighten the plight of people struggling in Mexico for their lives and families on a daily basis. Nor does she shield us from the cruelty of powerful landowners who are power hungry and see life as a commodity.

Visitación is a fierce, determined women whose only goal is to give people a proper burial site, but her drive is the cause of tension and terror for the people of Mezquitte, who are desperate to see another day. And Angustias and Visitación both become formidable foes who won’t back down amidst threats and destruction. They are feminism embodied.

I enjoyed this book and following the journey of these two women. It’s not a happy book, and it doesn’t have a happy ending, but it is raw and brutal-not shying away from ruthlessness.

A dark picture of a world some of us might not live in yet, but might soon. For fans of Parable of the Sower!
I really enjoyed the passages that were poems/prayers/songs sprinkled throughout, it really helps to flesh out the existing world this story takes place in. Not at all what I thought it would be about based on the cover, but a great read. Really shows the depths of love, community, life - as well as all of the opposites.

No Place to Bury the Dead started off as bit of a slow read for myself, however, the story picked up and I was finally drawn in. Throughout the entire novel, author, Karina Sainz Borgo, paints a vivid and often tragic scene. Main character Angustias Romero, shows from beginning to end how resilient woman are even in the face of tragedy, loss, and grief. She continually perseveres with the hand that life has dealt her and evolves into a stronger woman in the end. Besides being a bit slow in the beginning I believe the only other downfall of this story was how abruptly it ends. It almost felt like there was something missing.

Thank you HarperVia and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"No Place to Bury the Dead" by Karina Sainz Borgo is a haunting and powerful novel that explores grief, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

Set in an unnamed Latin American country ravaged by a mysterious plague that erases the memory of its victims, the story follows Angustias Romero as she navigates the surreal and dangerous landscape of Mezquitte. After losing her children to the plague, Angustias finds solace and purpose in the Third Country, a cemetery run by the enigmatic Visitación Salazar. However, the cemetery becomes the focal point of a bitter land dispute with the ruthless landowner Alcides Abundio, leading to a tense and violent confrontation.

Borgo's writing is both lyrical and evocative, immersing readers in the vividly depicted world of Mezquitte and its inhabitants. The novel's rich imagery and atmospheric prose create a sense of unease and foreboding, mirroring the uncertainty and chaos of the characters' lives.

At its core, "No Place to Bury the Dead" is a story about the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Angustias and Visitación emerge as compelling and complex characters, grappling with their own grief and trauma while confronting the harsh realities of life in Mezquitte. Their bond, forged in the crucible of loss, serves as a beacon of hope amidst the darkness.

The novel also delves into larger themes of power, violence, and the legacy of colonialism, offering a searing critique of the social and political injustices that plague the region. Through its gripping narrative and thought-provoking commentary, "No Place to Bury the Dead" sheds light on the human cost of conflict and the enduring quest for justice and redemption.

In conclusion, "No Place to Bury the Dead" is a masterfully crafted and deeply affecting novel that will linger in the minds of readers long after the final page. Borgo's storytelling prowess and keen insight into the human condition mark her as a rising star in modern Latin American literature, and this novel cements her importance among contemporary literary voices.