Introduction

So Far From God is a novel by Chicana writer Ana Castillo, first published by W. W. Norton & Company in 1993. In that same year, The New York Times included it in the annual “Notable Books of the Year” list. Many credit Castillo with founding and developing Xicanisma, an extension of Chicana feminism centered on women’s role in decolonization and community improvement. 

As evidenced in So Far From God, the credit is well deserved—set in Tome, New Mexico, the story takes up the chief concerns of Xicanisma in a late-twentieth-century scene. Much like Castillo’s other works, the novel employs magical realism, drawing from Latin American folklore, Chicano culture, shamanism, and indigenous practices as it follows the central characters throughout the complicated web of their lives.

Plot Summary

So Far From God begins with the death of La Loca—the youngest of Sofi’s four daughters—at three years old. At her funeral, mourners are shocked when she rises from her coffin. In the wake of her unexpected resurrection, Loca grows up an eccentric recluse. Meanwhile, her sisters suffer many setbacks in life.

Despite a successful career as a news broadcaster, Esperanza feels unable to move on from her abusive ex-boyfriend, Ruben. Meanwhile, the beautiful Caridad becomes pregnant shortly after her high school graduation. When she discovers Memo, the father, has been unfaithful, she has Loca perform an abortion. Finally, Fe suffers a prolonged nervous breakdown after her fiance, Tom, breaks off the engagement via letter—she starts screaming and cannot stop.

One night, Caridad staggers home, having been brutally mutilated by a malogra, or monster. After a year of caring for both Caridad and Fe, Loca helps the two recover through prayer. The healing of her sisters inspires Esperanza to call Ruben and finally break things off with him. At that moment, their father, Domingo—a life-long gambler from whom the girls have been estranged for over two decades—returns.

After her recovery, Caridad obtains powers of clairvoyance, predicting the death of her beloved mare, Corazón. Foreseeing the tragedy, she moves out and takes the mare with her but ultimately fails to prevent Corazón’s death. The loss pushes her to take an apprenticeship under her landlady, Felicia—a curandera, or folk healer. Meanwhile, Esperanza's news agency has sent her to cover an armed conflict in the Middle East.

During Lenten week, Caridad goes on a pilgrimage with Felicia to Chimayo. There, she becomes infatuated with a beautiful woman she sees resting on a wall. When Felicia sends Caridad to take a cleansing mineral bath, she goes missing for a whole year—until Felicia’s godson, Francisco, stumbles on her living in a cave in the mountains. When Caridad finally decides to take a mineral bath, she chances upon the woman on the wall and learns her name: Esmeralda.

Shortly after her 53rd birthday, Sofi decides to run for mayor of Tome, seeking to lift the village from economic depression. After much work, she establishes successful projects such as a wool-weaving enterprise, a food co-operative, and a low-interest loan fund. Eventually, she earns the informal title of mayor.

One day, the ghost of La Llorona warns Loca of Esperanza’s death, which the U.S. Army confirms a week later. However, Loca and Caridad continue to converse with Esperanza’s spirit. Meanwhile, Fe moves out and marries Casimiro, her cousin, and then quits the bank for a better-paying manufacturing job at Acme International. However, her health rapidly declines due to constant exposure to deadly chemicals the job demands. After almost a year, she is diagnosed with cancer and dies shortly after.

After finding Caridad in the cave, Francisco became infatuated...