Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

I read this author's book Poet X--which is nothing like this--but this is her first book for adults. I am a fan of Young Adult fiction, so the fact that it does seem to sit on a fence between the two genres was not a deal breaker for me, but it probably helps if you are flexible about that. It begins with an oblique bit of magic--which is part of the family culture for this multi-generational Dominican family. Flor, who for her whole life has been able to predict when and how people will die, announces that she will be holding a living wake for herself, and all her siblings are invited (and their children, too). Whether Flor has predicted her own death—or anyone else’s—doesn’t become clear to either the reader or Flor’s family until later. In the meantime, we’re introduced to Flor’s sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila; her daughter, Ona; and her niece Yadi, many of whom have magical powers of their own. The differences that exist for immigrant families the further they get from their homeland and the more they make their new country their own are all on display here, as is the acceptance that magic exists and everything cannot be explained in the natural world.