Mariposilla: A Novel

A mother brings her dying daughter to California in a last desperate gamble. The dry air and golden light work their magic: Marjorie strengthens, color returns to her cheeks. But hope curdles into something darker when the charismatic Mrs. Sanderson and her handsome son Sidney insinuate themselves into their lives, their charm masking something more calculating. Against this backdrop, Mariposilla, a young Spanish girl, navigates her own struggle for identity and belonging in a place where her people's heritage is being erased. Daggett weaves a tale of fragile health, false kindness, and the dangerous games played by those who would use vulnerability as currency. This is California before the turn of the century, when the state was still being claimed and re-claimed, and belonging was something that could be bought, sold, or stolen.