“Buckle up, doll. I promise I’ll try not to tangle your quinceañera dress.”
So begins the adventure of Leticia Marisol Estrella Torez, who moves north to Los Angeles in an attempt to break from her past: from starched dresses and sleek, tight braids; from Nana, the traditional grandmother who raised her; and also from Weeping Woman—the siren of Mexican folklore said to fly through the skies at night to steal troublesome children and who is, in many ways, Leti’s first love. As Leti immerses herself in urban L.A.’s queer scene, navigating twisting roads of gender and love, she rediscovers the strength and meaning of familia. Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties turns tradition on its head while laying flowers at its feet.
“Edgy, exuberant…fun, rollicking and a little bit dangerous…”
—Publishers Weekly
“Bursting at the seams with pizzazz and invention.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“A spry debut from a writer who’s got the skills.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“An edgy and risky debut that leaps over clichés and lands in the center of the modern-day intricacies of a new generation.”
—El Paso Times
“Stripper friends, valium-popping moms, lovable Chicana grandmas…this novel reads quickly with its tight prose, rich imagery, and emotion-dappled scenarios. Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties unfurls gritty-hipster queer-lust stories ready to be devoured.”
—Flaunt Magazine
“Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties captures the messy, pinball reality of a young, urban dyke princess, struggling to carve out a place in the world.”
—Lambda Book Report
“With prose that nearly sings off the page, Lemus tells an ancient story about love that’s worth waiting for.”
—Out
“Lemus’ dynamic language and pacing offer deep insights into familia and cultura without an ounce of heavy-handedness.”
—Latina
“Felicia Luna Lemus is fiercely intelligent.”
—The Advocate
(Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003)