From the Whiting Award-winning author of Ordinary Girls, an epic portrayal of a working-class Puerto Rican family wrestling with the aftermath of a murder.
Growing up in Puerto Rico, Maricarmen works hard, getting good grades, and cleaning houses after school. She dreams of becoming a singer. When she meets Rey, a young Black musician, she falls in love with his dynamism and his voice. But when her mother discovers their relationship, the course of Maricarmen’s life is changed forever. During the rise of the drug crisis sweeping their tight-knit community, Maricarmen fights to make a home for herself, for Rey, for Rey’s young brother Tito, and eventually, for her daughter Nena.
Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation, as the community that had once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Encumbered by loss and betrayal, and reckoning with her burgeoning sexuality, Nena must learn to navigate the world on her own, to fight for herself and her family. An immersive and propulsive exploration of generational grief and the legacy of colonialism, This Is the Only Kingdom is a searing and moving portrait of a family torn apart, determined to find their way back.
Growing up in Puerto Rico, Maricarmen works hard, getting good grades, and cleaning houses after school. She dreams of becoming a singer. When she meets Rey, a young Black musician, she falls in love with his dynamism and his voice. But when her mother discovers their relationship, the course of Maricarmen’s life is changed forever. During the rise of the drug crisis sweeping their tight-knit community, Maricarmen fights to make a home for herself, for Rey, for Rey’s young brother Tito, and eventually, for her daughter Nena.
Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation, as the community that had once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Encumbered by loss and betrayal, and reckoning with her burgeoning sexuality, Nena must learn to navigate the world on her own, to fight for herself and her family. An immersive and propulsive exploration of generational grief and the legacy of colonialism, This Is the Only Kingdom is a searing and moving portrait of a family torn apart, determined to find their way back.
Coming October 21, 2025. Pre-order here!
Named a Most Recommended Book of the Year by Electric Literature
“This is an extraordinary debut! Jaquira Díaz delivers a haunting meditation around the painful bonds of family and immerses readers in a world where the echoes of the past shape the future in devastating ways. A poignant, mesmerizing read that cements Díaz as a writer to be reckoned with.”―Angie Cruz, author of How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water
“With stirring prose and an unflinching gaze, Jaquira Díaz viscerally renders one family’s origin story against the backdrop of Miami and Puerto Rico of the recent past—familiar to some, forgotten to many. This is The Only Kingdom is an unflinching look into dark social truths that one woman must face as a young matriarch, fighting for her family’s survival. Yet Díaz offers up no tragedy here, but a light through her daughter, who conjures up not just a fierce will to survive, but to thrive—as her fullest and whole self—reminding us that this life must be worth living to its fullest and truest.”
―Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming
“With stirring prose and an unflinching gaze, Jaquira Díaz viscerally renders one family’s origin story against the backdrop of Miami and Puerto Rico of the recent past—familiar to some, forgotten to many. This is The Only Kingdom is an unflinching look into dark social truths that one woman must face as a young matriarch, fighting for her family’s survival. Yet Díaz offers up no tragedy here, but a light through her daughter, who conjures up not just a fierce will to survive, but to thrive—as her fullest and whole self—reminding us that this life must be worth living to its fullest and truest.”
―Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming