“I write to discover what I know”
— Flannery O’Connor
Claire’s novel Fragile Saints is published by Adelaide Books.
Debra Dean, author of The Madonnas of Leningrad, writes, “A heartfelt debut, Fragile Saints follows the journey of a woman, bruised by betrayal and divorce, to her father’s ancestral home in Peru. Like the silkworms on the family farm, Elsa emerges from her cocoon transformed and ready to brave a new life. Fans of Isabel Allende will savor this lushly textured romance.”
Fragile Saints is a story of souls - the living and the dead – searching for their rightful resting place. With the same skill that silkworms weave their thread throughout this delightful read, Ibarra crafts a memorable love story that takes us on a sensual journey from California to Peru. Scenes rich with the sights, sounds, smells and beauty of the Peruvian countryside allow us to connect with the living and the dead – those fragile saints – who ultimately find their hidden strengths. As does the protagonist, Elsa. -Kathie Klarreich, author of Madame Dread: A Tale of Love, Vodou and Civil Strife in Haiti
Award Finalist
Fragile Saints was a finalist for the 2022 Colorado Authors League Book Award in the Literary/Mainstream Category.
This magical novel from Claire Ibarra is rich with beautiful descriptions and lush details. I was there with Elsa, watching the silk moths mate and plucking papayas from the tree. I felt her need for connection. “Her heart fluttered with the desire to live, to connect to her loved ones, and inside her chest it felt like the flapping of those desperate silk moths, so fragile yet eager to attract a mate before they fade away and die.” Fragile Saints is a layered, haunting novel that asks important questions and leaves you with hope.
-Claire Polders, author of Eternal Fair
Vortex of Our Affections
Claire Ibarra’s Vortex of Our Affections whirls into the domestic space, where poems cyclone in the most spectacular fashion. Human disruption and repair is Ibarra’s forte. Befriended by a dog she names Bukowski, the speaker negotiates a "fissured marriage" and a mother who has "tea with Jesus on a space ship." Smart, generous, and often hilarious, these stunning poems celebrate love, loss and the opportunity to begin anew.
–Denise Duhamel
Claire Ibarra writes about love– a worthy subject for any poet and one she plumbs with with honesty and grace. I’m struck especially by poems like "The Gringa Can Dance"–People say we married too young"–and "Reunion"–My mother musters the will to tell her stories,/ of tea with Jesus on a space ship, /her lover, Irene, the one she left with—by the compassion that laces Ibarra’s poetic narratives. Here is a poet-speaker brave enough to ask, What is the shape of childhood? What is the shape of my marriage?, and then, with the patience and probing attention to write in search of those answers.
–Julie Marie Wade, author of Six: Poems and Small Fires: Essays
