International Bestseller

Winner of the Rhegium Julii Debut PrizeOn the first day of the year 1900, a small town deep in the Uruguayan countryside gathers to witness a miracle — the mysterious reappearance of Pajarita, a lost infant who will grow up to begin a lineage of fiercely independent women in the capital, Montevideo. Her daughter, Eva, a fragile yet ferociously stubborn beauty intent on becoming a poet, overcomes an early, shattering betrayal to embark on a most unconventional path. And Eva’s daughter, Salomé, awakens to both her sensuality and political convictions amidst the violent turmoil of the late 1960s. From Perón’s glittering Buenos Aires to the rustic hills of Rio de Janeiro, from the haven of a Montevideo butchershop to U.S. embassy halls, The Invisible Mountain celebrates a nation’s spirit, the will to survive in the most desperate of circumstances, and the fierce and complex connections between mother and daughter.

Interviews with the author

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A Best Book of 2009 according to The San Francsico Chronicle, O, The Oprah Magazine, and Booklist

Finalist for a California Book Award, an International Latino Book Award, and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award

“This visionary book bravely, beautifully breaks open all the old secrets.”
– Elle

“An incantatory debut…sweeping…boldly poetic…This visionary book beautifully, bravely breaks open all the old secrets.”
—Elle

“Haunting…an evocative tribute to the endurance of women.”
—Diana Gabaldon, author of Outlander

“Stunning…The Invisible Mountain has the body of an epic and the soul of a sassy, sexy storyteller.”
—Paste Magazine

“The Invisible Mountain is the kind of novel you stay up late to finish and lie awake thinking about. The novel’s triumph—brought to a high polish in an unforgettable final scene—is its ensemble of women and men, bent on living every moment as if on fire.”
—Joan Frank, The San Francisco Chronicle

“A compelling human story about identity…[The Invisible Mountain] does what the best novels do.”
—O Magazine

“Words, so beautifully employed by De Robertis, seem inadequate to capture the essence of this saga. It is her use of language – from the precision of poetry to the sensuality of sex – that makes this literary debut so exceptional.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Enchanting, funny, and heartbreaking…An extraordinary first effort whose epic scope and deft handling reverbate with the deep pull of ancestry, the powerful influence of one’s country and the sacrifices of reinvention.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Lush…lyrical…Miracles, poetry, and guerilla fighters march through the 20th century in De Robertis’ winning debut, a beautifully wrought novel of Uruguay.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A rhapsodic debut. The women’s stories, and the manner of their telling, become part elegy and part paean to the city that binds them.”
—BookBrowse

“Impressive…[The Invisible Mountain] has plenty to say about the social and political forces at play in South America throughout the twentieth century.”
—Otago Daily Times (New Zealand)

“An accomplished work…profound and moving.`”
—The Sunday Business Post (Ireland)

“Beautifully told, with rich details and a plot that is finely woven.”
—The Dallas Morning News

“[De Robertis’] evocations of landscape are passionate and beautiful, helping us to feel the intense connection between geography and history.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“De Robertis draws on family fact and legend to bring Montevideo and its stories to life with rewarding effect.”
—Library Journal

“The brainiest dynastic novel in years.”
—Sara Nelson, The Daily Beast

“Marvelous…brings to vivid life the history and culture of Uruguay. Bold, passionate, and filled with songs both ecstatic and tragic.”
—Cristina García, author of Dreaming in Cuban

“A poetic and absorbing generational epic…with a lyrical voice and vibrant descriptions.”
—BookPage

“Carolina De Robertis is a writer of uncanny wisdom and an alchemist of words. The Invisible Mountain introduces a gifted literary voice mapping the uncharted territories of the Americas in a fearless new way.”
—Alex Espinoza, author of Still Water Saints

“Wonderful…De Robertis is a writer to watch.”
—Matthew Aaron Goodman, author of Hold Love Strong