Eating Ashes is a haunting, profound examination of the complexities of grief, migration, and neglect. With a startling, arresting narrative voice, our unnamed protagonist spirals through memories of her brother before his tragic death, until she develops a compulsion toward touching and tasting her brother’s ashes. Never before have I encountered a book that so perfectly captures the way a mind twists in the throes of grief, the way our thoughts spit and claw and recur, trying to fill a void. This book is beautiful, and sad, and beautiful.
Eating Ashes by Brenda Navarro, (List Price: $24.99, Liveright, 9781324096085, January 2026)
Reviewed by Charlie, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia