Wow, so much to unpack here. The horror is great, the social commentary is spot on, and I really enjoyed the writing and translation. I felt so tense reading this, so worried about these characters. Very impressive.

Epic and impressive story with some of the greatest characters I've ever read in a work, and I've read a LOT of good characters. 5 stars

Winner of the 2023 Jan Michalski Prize!

A familiar story of climate migration based in a time not far from now. No Place To Bury The Dead takes a microscope to the migrant crisis in Latin America that has expanded due to a mysterious epidemic that causes memory loss and death. Angustias (Anguish) Romero flees with her family to the North. When both of her children perish she is forced to consider what can be done next. Can she leave them behind? Where can they be buried?

Stuck in the purgatory that immigrants fleeing terror and hunger experience, Angustiat deals with violence, gangs and political corruption in a small town called Mezquite. A fever dream, a surreal nightmare, a perfect metaphor for the immigration crisis (Crisis for the immigrants, that is !) #noplacetoburythedead #harperbvia #karinasainzborgo #Elizabethbryertranslator

Karina Sainz Borgo’s *No Place to Bury the Dead* is a gripping and poignant novel set in a dystopian Venezuela. Through Adelaida Falcón’s eyes, we experience the harsh reality of a nation in collapse, marked by violence and despair. Sainz Borgo's raw and vivid writing captures the brutality and resilience of life under extreme circumstances.

The novel draws parallels with Venezuela’s real-life crisis, highlighting political corruption and social injustice. It's a powerful commentary on authoritarian regimes and a testament to human perseverance. While the book is emotionally intense, its portrayal of struggle and hope makes it a crucial read that lingers long after the last page.

Loved this. Read it on the heels of PINK SLIME, both offering a fascinating look at a post-apocalyptic world, and both highlighting the strong and interesting fiction coming out of LA. I hope this book blows up; it feels major.

Thanks to the publisher for the egalley.

I think I found both my new favorite book and author. This book takes place while a serious plague is happening, not only does it follow a mother but it follows her quest to find her kids who were lost admist the chaos. That alone in the premise is perfect. But, then as you learn more about this world, the unnamed country in Latin America, and the stakes beyond the current stakes—you will be hooked.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world after a virus has wiped out memories, Augustias brings forth into the world a set of twins. But after they unexpectedly die, she wants to be able to bury them in honor. In a place where violent gangs rule the people. A Latin American thriller that will have you flipping pages in order to hope for the best for her travels in hopes to bury her children. A first read for this author and definitely won’t be my last.

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.

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 ⭐

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 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.

This was a fantastic job in reimagining borders as a purgatory state, it was a unique concept and thought the story worked well overall. The characters were everything that I was looking for and thought the overall feel worked with everything that was happening. It had a great use of the genre and characters and glad I read this. Karina Sainz Borgo has a great writing style and can’t wait for more.