Title: In the Time of the Butterflies
Author: Julia Álvarez
Year: 1994/1995
Publisher: Plume
Pages: 325
A useful historical-ish (maybe: historically-based) novel to follow up on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (which I enjoyed more but which, in its frenzy and pastiche, doesn't lend itself well to a linear understanding of the Trujillo regime). The "butterflies" are the Mirabal sisters, active in the anti-Trujillo underground, three of whom were assassinated and who even now symbolize Dominican freedom.
Álvarez tells their fictionalized story through the alternating voices of the sisters over time. She does a good job of differentiating their voices and preoccupations as they mature.
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