A haunting exploration of female friendship desire and memory set against the sultry backdrop
of Florida's swamplands. It's been years since Ingrid has heard from her childhood best
friend Mayra a fearless rebel who fled their hometown of Hialeah a Cuban neighbourhood just
west of Miami for college in the Northeast. But when Mayra calls out of the blue to invite
Ingrid to a weekend getaway at a house in the Everglades she impulsively accepts. From the
moment Ingrid sets out for the house danger looms: the directions are difficult she's out of
reach of cell service and as she drives deeper into the Everglades the wet maw of the swamp
threatens to swallow her whole. But once Ingrid arrives Mayra is in many ways just as she
remembers - with her sharp tongue and effortless seductive beauty still thumbing her nose at
the world. Before they can fully settle into the familiar intimacy of each other's company
their reunion is spoiled by the reemergence of past disagreements and the unexpected presence
of Mayra's new boyfriend Benji. The trio spend their hours eating lavish meals and exploring
the labyrinthine house which holds as much mystery and danger as the swamp itself. Indoors and
on the grounds time itself seems to expand and Ingrid begins to lose a sense of the outside
world and herself. Against this disquieting setting where lizards dart in and out of
porches and alligators peek up from dark waters Gonzalez weaves a propulsive unforgettable
story about the dizzying power of early friendship and the lengths we'll go to earn love and
acceptance - even at the risk of losing ourselves entirely.
