The Shrine at Altamira

Book excerpt: A novel of cultural and emotional divides—and the consequences of obsessive love—from the author of An Honorable Profession, a New York Times Notable Book. The Shrine at Altamira by John L’Heureux has the simple shape and powerful impact of Greek tragedy. When Maria Corazon Alvarez meets Russell Whitaker at a school dance, she sees his blue eyes and solid American name as a ticket out of the ghetto into a better life. They dance, they touch, they tumble into a love so strong and elemental it should last forever. But gradually the balance shifts; he loves her more, she loves him less. When their son is born, Maria gives him all her love and Russell is pushed aside. Wild, obsessed, Russell runs mad and his desperate love becomes a fire that consumes them all. “Mesmerizing . . . A powerful and affecting story about love’s most anguished and disturbing permutations.” —Timothy Hunter, The Plain Dealer