BOOKS Life in the Shadows Ecuadorian-American author Karla Cornejo Villavicencios debut novel Catalina is a timely portrait of an undocumented immigrants life at Harvard University. By Caelan McMichael U nder the Trump admisistration, undercover ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers are patrolling communities across America in search of undocumented migrants. Armed with search warrants, they are forcefully entering homes and workplaces with the aim of deportation. A crackdown on international students including at elite institutions like Harvard, where student visas are being revoked has intensified political fear and an already aggressive antiimmigration narrative. This sense of surveillance and exclusion has altered the perception of the American dream of hard work, opportunity, and upward mobility. For EcuadorianAmerican writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, it means something else. I thought living the American dream was to be in charge of my own destiny, she explains. Freedom centred on agency a right many immigrants are currently being stripped of. Villavicencio, the daughter of undocumented parents Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. who emigrated from Ecuador when she was 18 months old, is the author of The Undocumented Americans, a collection of essays illuminating the rich inner lives and identities of undocumented immigrants, often flattened or vilified by news headlines. Villavicencio humanises a community long targeted by political leaders and asserts their right to be seen, heard, and understood. In her debut novel Catalina (longlisted for the US National Book Award in 2024 and published in Ireland in August) she draws on her own experiences to create an intimate and honest portrait of life in the shadows. Villavicencio describes Catalina as being loosely based on the autobiographical skeleton of my life. As an avid reader growing up in Queens, New York, books provided Villavicencio with escapism and comfort and unexpectedly, attention. As a young, poor girl, without any kind of social or cultural capital, writing got me noticed, she says. Villavicencio was offered an education at a private Catholic school in New York, funded by a wealthy benefactor who saw her potential. That support paved the way for her admission into Harvard University. Like Villavicencio, the novels protagonist Catalina is an undocumented immigrant navigating the elite world of Harvard, a world in which, Villavicencio says, she was surrounded by extreme wealth and classmates whose lives had been shaped by privilege and nepotism. She studied history and literature, but also learned about social hierarchies and how to navigate them. Always on the lowest end of the power dynamic, she sometimes used flirting as a way to disarm people and get her foot in the door a survival instinct she also gave to Catalina. The novel has a fun, flirty, girlishness to it, capturing the experiences of college life. Immigrant stories are often very traumatic, dark and retraumatising. I have lived through many dark things, but my family and I have had a very gallows-humour reaction to them, so I wanted to write something that was also fun, she says. Catalina captures the darkness while also reflecting the reality she grew up in, one marked by resilience and strength. The desire to share this narrative stemmed from her feeling like an object of study and fascination for people throughout her life. Ive had a very chaotic life, and felt really invisible when I was a child. I often felt dismissed, disdained and ignored, she says. As a young girl who was poor and marginalised, it felt like I was an object, one of study and curiosity, but I didnt really have my own voice. The story of Catalina is about that girl one who is often dismissed or overlooked. Villavicencio mentions the sense of imposter syndrome experienced by immigrant children those who feel they are living a life for their parents. She wants to break that heavy cycle. You can live a life of purpose and gratitude and humility and dignity, but I dont think its healthy to live your life in debt, she says. There are different ways of honouring your family and their sacrifices that arent tied to debt. Catalina is a product of her family and their stories, but is also very true to herself. While writing Catalina Villavicencio became protective of the protagonist. She didnt feel like my child, but it felt like I was her guardian, she explains. Because she was a young girl, I felt like she was entitled to all of the messiness and character growth that war heroes are allowed in books. You cant judge a 20-year-old for acting like a 20-year-old. Fiction allows us to focus on a little spot of humanity and enriches our understanding of the political situation. 36 July/August 2025 THE GLOSS MAGAZINE Catalina is silly, witty, intelligent, and prone to self-sabotage (who isnt at that age). Navigating expectations, she learns to balance survival with self-discovery. Although she has earned her place at Harvard, a dark cloud of potential deportation hangs over her (and the reader) amid an increasingly shaky political landscape. With Catalina, Villavicencio offers more than just a coming-of-age or campus tale; she presents a counter-narrative to traditional immigrant trauma storylines. Its something thats impossible to wrap your head around if youre only reading about it in the form of a crisis or in a newspaper or seeing it in a documentary, she says. But fiction allows us to focus on a little spot of humanity and enriches our understanding of the political situation. With Catalina, one thing is clear: this girl, once overlooked and invisible, has always had a voice it just needed to be heard. Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (Hutchinson Heinemann) is published on August 7. 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He collected these stories in his BOOKS Life in the Shadows Ecuadorian-American author Karla Cornejo Villavicencios debut novel Catalina is a timely portrait of an undocumented immigrants life at Harvard University. By Caelan McMichael U nder the Trump admisistration, undercover ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers ADVERTORIAL Aisling Cleary and Danielle Andrews, Clinical Directors at Laser + Skin Clinic. A Revolutionary Acne Treatment A breakthrough in acne therapy takes an innovative approach F or many, clear skin is about more than aesthetics, its about confidence, self-esteem and feeling good. 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It allowed me to see the positives, like my WINE La Vie En Rosé Julie Dupouy pairs rosé with summer suppers O ften associated with summer, sunny terraces, and casual apéritifs, rosé wines have for too long carried a reputation for being simple quaffing wines, hardly worthy of a moment of pause for appreciation. Yet behind their many hues FOOD SCENIC ROUTE Ballyshane House and the resident Irish terriers. Kitty Coles. Kitty Coles takes a road trip along Irelands South East coast to East Cork, where she discovers a culinary community thats innovative and inviting I have just returned from one of my favourite trips in the last f FOOD FOOD JR RYALLS ALMOND TART (OR TARTLETS) WITH RASPBERRIES lley, Cork. The dessert trolley at Ballymaloe House. The Long Va Myrtle Allen began making these tarts for the Ballymaloe dessert trolley over half a century ago. The base couldnt be easier to prepare; it literally takes one minute t JASMINE HUGHES TRAVEL GREAT IRISH HOLIDAYS The Irish summer holiday combines simplicity and sophistication we find extraordinary places to stay, eat and explore F Ophelia Keane of Carpa Dining at Inish Beg Estate. or a perfect base from which to explore West Cork, book the recently renovated F TRAVEL The new Nordic-style cabins at Ballygarry Estate. The terrace outside Hannos Workshop at Mossies B&B. latest addition to the accommodation offering is Hannos Workshop, a selfcatering barn with a New York-style loft (two guests; pets allowed). A new sauna has just opened beside a small pond TRAVEL Visit Coan Coffee on the Ards Peninsula for cappucino and carrot cake. Annalong, close to the seaside town of Newcastle, with the Mourne Mountains as a backdrop; www.kribbencottages.com. At Strangford Lough Activity Centre, Rory Martin runs Sunrise and Full Moon kayaking experiences and e-b TRAVEL Fans of the award-winning Misunderstood Heron formerly perched above Killary Fjord and hailed by Lonely Planet as one of the worlds top ten coolest food trucks will be thrilled by its new home at BigStyle Lodge at P Dans, Killadoon, near Louisburgh, which has a terrace with incredible sea TRAVEL Travel Notes Penny McCormick takes a road trip out west Glenlo Abbey Hotel. The sitting room. Deluxe bedroom with view of Lough Corrib. The Pullman Restaurant. CHECKING IN: GLENLO ABBEY HOTEL & ESTATE, GALWAY Take a trip around Inis Mór with Thomas Faherty Tours; www.aranponytrap.com. Kitchen appliances worth talking about Discuss your kitchen needs and learn all about the latest and greatest from Bosch, Siemens and Neff from our experts in the Home of Innovation, Dublin. Or if you prefer to see them in action, join one of our cooking demonstrations. Visit homeofinnovation.ie to