The Madonnas of Echo Park: A Novel by Brando Skyhorse; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Annie Henk

We slipped into this country like thieves, onto the land that once was ours.

With these words, spoken by an illegal Mexican day laborer, The Madonnas of Echo Park takes us into the unseen world of Los Angeles, following the men and women who cook the meals, clean the homes, and struggle to lose their ethnic identity in the pursuit of the American dream.

When a dozen or so girls and mothers gather on an Echo Park street corner to act out a scene from a Madonna music video, they find themselves caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. In the aftermath, Aurora Esperanza grows distant from her mother, Felicia, who as a housekeeper in the Hollywood Hills establishes a unique relationship with a detached housewife.

The Esperanzas’ shifting lives connect with those of various members of their neighborhood. A day laborer trolls the streets for work with men half his age and witnesses a murder that pits his morality against his illegal status; a religious hypocrite gets her comeuppance when she meets the Virgin Mary at a bus stop on Sunset Boulevard; a typical bus route turns violent when cultures and egos collide in the night, with devastating results; and Aurora goes on a journey through her gentrified childhood neighborhood in a quest to discover her own history and her place in the land that all Mexican Americans dream of, "the land that belongs to us again."

Like the Academy Award–winning film Crash, The Madonnas of Echo Park follows the intersections of its characters and cultures in Los Angeles. In the footsteps of Junot Díaz and Sherman Alexie, Brando Skyhorse in his debut novel gives voice to one neighborhood in Los Angeles with an astonishing— and unforgettable—lyrical power.

"A literary glimpse into the often unseen world of Mexican Americans trying to make it as Americans."—USA Today

“In its depiction of what amounts to a parallel social universe The Madonnas of Echo Park provides a master-class in non-linear narrative, written with imaginative generosity and emotional precision, poignant, brutal and refreshingly unsentimental. Brando Skyhorse has what can't be faked: talent. His book is an understated triumph.”

— Glen Duncan, author of Death of an Ordinary Man and I, Lucifer

“The hard, bitter grit of life in Echo Park, especially for women, is made quite wonderful by warmth and bright color, humor and compassion; in its keenly felt insight into the human condition, Echo Park is the world: this is who we are, like it or not. Altogether a terrific book by a highly accomplished new author – where has he been?” – Peter Matthiessen, National Book Award-winning author of Shadow Country and The Snow Leopard

"In this insightful book, Brando Skyhorse reveals himself to be a trenchant and passionate observer of the forgotten underclasses of Los Angeles. He's fashioned a desperate La Ronde for Echo Park and a requiem for the '80s."-- Glen David Gold, author of Carter Beats the Devil and Sunnyside

"In this gorgeous and suspenseful book the admirably talented Brando Skyhorse takes his readers to a kingdom that he has made very much his own, Echo Park, California. I loved reading about his richly imagined characters, both Mexican and American, and how their lives intersect with our much more familiar versions of Los Angeles." —Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street & Eva Moves the Furniture

"A beautiful sweep of Los Angeles, told through multiple viewpoints that showcase Brando Skyhorse's breadth. The Madonnas of Echo Park is a terrific journey, where characters re-emerge unexpectedly until by the end, the book has created a full and vivid world."

—Aimee Bender, author of The Girl in the Flammable Skirt and Willful Creatures

"Brando Skyhorse writes with great compassion and wit (and a touch of magic) about the lives of people who are often treated as if they are invisible. The stories that make up this novel weave together to create a complex and vivid portrait of a Los Angeles we seldom see in literature or film. The Madonnas of Echo Park is a memorable literary debut."

—Dan Chaon, author of Await Your Reply

"First-time novelist Skyhorse offers a poignant yet unsentimental homage to Echo Park, a working-class neighborhood in east Los Angeles where everyone struggled to blend in with American society but remains tied to the traditions of Mexico...Essential for fans of Sherman Alexie or Sandra Cisneros but with universal appeal for readers who favor in-depth character-centered stories, this is enthusiastically recommended." - Library Journal (starred review)

"Vivid...Skyhorse excels at building a vibrant community and presenting several perspectives on what it means to be Mexican in America, from those who wonder "how can you lose something that never belonged to you?" to those who miraculously find it."

—Publishers Weekly

"[V]ivid...These are the people we pass every day and never give much thought. Now Skyhorse demands our attention as he deftly humanizes their stories...Eye-opening and haunting, Skyhorse's novel will jolt readers out of their complacence." —Booklist

Born and raised in Echo Park, CA, Brando Skyhorse is a graduate of Stanford University and the MFA Writers’ Workshop program at UC Irvine.  For the past ten years he has worked in New York publishing.  His next book, also forthcoming from Free Press, is a memoir about growing up with five stepfathers.