Mrs. Vargas and the dead naturalist

"This first collection of 14 short stories set in Mexico and the Southwest takes the reader to a place where miracles flower in neglected courtyards, and where Alcalá's characters access the magic inherent in the landscape and in themselves. If you like the magic-realism novels of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or of Isabelle Allende or Jane Bowles, you need to read this stunning short-story collection."-- Provided by Publisher.