In 'A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens,' debt takes on many meanings

NPR's Book of the Day

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 7 November 2023

⏱️ 8 minutes

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Summary

Hugo Contreras, the protagonist of Raul Palma's new novel, is a babaláwo; he can cleanse evil spirits. Except he doesn't really believe in the whole thing. So when he's able to strike up a deal with a debt collector – get rid of the ghosts in his house in exchange for a clean slate – he assumes he can mostly fake it. In today's episode, Palma joins NPR's Scott Simon to discuss A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens, and how the concept of debt – not just financial, but personal, too – stirs up a lot of trauma for Hugo.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Before we get into today's show,
0:06.9	I want to tell you about a new offering we have here at Book of the Day. We have now launched
0:11.5	Book of the Day Plus, which is a new way to support our work here at NPR. When you sign up,
0:17.1	you get access to a special feed where you can listen to our new episodes sponsor-free.
0:22.4	Nothing is changing about our regular show, but Book of the Day Plus is another way to help us keep giving you the books coverage you love.
0:30.5	So please do sign up. We really appreciate it. You can find out more at plus.npr.org slash book of the day. All right, on to today's show.
0:39.5	I don't know if you've ever gotten a call from a debt collector, but it's really scary.
0:45.9	You know, they call once, twice, and it just becomes this thing hanging over you, possibly
0:50.9	lurking behind every unknown caller. Today's book takes that fear seriously and
0:56.0	blends it with some actual ghosts. It's Raul Palma's A Hailea Gardens, and he talked to NPR
1:02.6	Scott Simon about how debts of all kinds, you know, financial, personal, have a way of creeping
1:08.3	into every empty pocket in your life.
1:11.8	This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe.
1:16.1	When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees.
1:22.1	Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. T's and Cs apply.
1:27.6	When Rolpa's novel a Ha A Haunting and Hia Gardens opens, Hugo Contreras feels his life is
1:34.3	shrunk. He lives in a small bare cell of a Miami apartment after his beloved wife,
1:39.7	Melly has died. He cringes under medical debt with only enough discretionary income to indulge in a
1:46.5	single cafcito each week. One day he gets another call from a debt collector, Alexei Ramirez,
1:52.3	and is about to hang up when he learns he needs his help. Hugo is a Babelow. He spiritually cleanses haunted houses, and if he can banish spirits from
2:04.4	Alexi's house, the collector will banish Hugo's debt. Raul Palma, born and raised in Miami, is now
2:11.3	on the fiction faculty at Ithaca College, and he told us earlier this week, the idea for the book
	...

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