Never Look Back

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“Eury’s life was uprooted after Hurricane Maria destroyed her home in Puerto Rico. Spending a summer in the Bronx was supposed to help her recover, but Eury is haunted by more than just a devastating storm and an absent father. And he’s followed her to New York. Pheus, who has lived his whole life in New York, could charm honey from a hive with his voice and guitar. He was excited to spend the summer with his friends, and serenading Melaina, his on-again, off-again flame. But when Eury arrives, it takes everything for him not to trip over his usually-suave tongue. A contemporary, magical-realism take on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, the latest from Rivera looks at generational trauma and the trauma that arises from natural disasters. But more than that, Never Look Back is about what it means to be seen, by others who see a twisted version of your reflection, and those who can see you as you are. Rivera’s exquisite writing is the literary equivalent of a lullaby, fast-dance music, an acoustic set, a full-orchestra symphony, and of course, a bachata.”

— Cassie • Wellesley Books