Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaung. Today's interview is extremely validating for

grown adults who are maybe still a little scared of the dark. I mean, how could you not be

afraid of basements, right? It's with writer Isabel Cagnas about her debut novel, The Hacienda.

It takes place in the aftermath of the Mexican War for Independence, which means it's dealing

with colonialism and class and status while also dealing with witches and a haunted house.

Cagnos tells M.P.R.'s Aishaha Rosco about being inspired by how the Day of the Dead

pulls influences from Catholic and indigenous traditions and how melding the two isn't usually

seen in what we call genre fiction. In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from

daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, Sources and

methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you understand

why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Beatrice has limited options in her young life. Her father, a general, was arrested after the

Mexican War for Independence and executed. Her house burned to the ground. She and her mother make it out just in time. Unsympathetic

relatives take them in. So when the chance comes to marry a handsome rich man, Beatrice jumps.

But she never asked what really happened to his first wife. Rookie mistake. That's how the action starts in the hacienda, and it just doesn't

stop. This is Isabel Kanias's debut novel, and she joins us now to talk about it. Welcome.

Thank you so much for having me, Aisha. Let's talk about this. It's not just the fate of the first wife that she should have asked some more questions about, but there are problems evident from the moment Beatrice arrives at Rudolfo's estate and Rudolfo is the husband. What does she see when she gets there? So when Beatrice arrives at Asianda San Isidro,

Rodolfo soon goes back to Mexico City to work because he's a politician and she's there alone.

And she quickly discovers that this place is profoundly haunted. But nobody seems to believe her.

No. She's kind of gaslit by the other people who live on the asienda, who seem very afraid of

the house, who avoid certain parts of it, who don't talk about what's happening in the house

at night, which is when activity really starts to kick off.

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