The Falling Woman (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Pat Murphy
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Fantasy—Magical Realism
- Time of Work: The mid-1980s, with flashbacks to the 1940s
- Setting: Yucatan digs in Mexico, and Berkeley, California
- Genres: Long fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Mothers, Parents and children, 1940’s, Ghosts or apparitions, 1980’s, California, West, U.S., Mexico or Mexicans, Sacrifice, Archaeology or archaeologists, Mayas
- Locales: Yucatán, Mexico, Berkeley, CA
The Plot
The Falling Woman concerns the efforts of Elizabeth Butler (Liz) to achieve self-understanding by choosing between the unknown past and present reality. Liz must decide whether to fulfill the wishes of a Mayan ghost, Zuhuy-kak, who believes the blood sacrifice of Liz’s estranged daughter, Diane, will restore power to an ancient Mayan goddess. Her option is to deny this past world that she cherishes and accept the present world she loathes. Six chapters, interspersed with ones devoted to Liz and Diane, describe ancient Mayan customs and cyclic concepts that...
[The entire page is 965 words long]
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