The Great Divide: A Novel

An epic novel of the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there, by Cristina Henríquez, acclaimed author of The Book of Unknown AmericansIt is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history.

But first, it must be built.

For Francisco, a local fisherman who resents the foreign powers clamoring for a slice of his country, nothing is more upsetting than the decision of his son, Omar, to work as a digger in the excavation zone.

But for Omar, whose upbringing was quiet and lonely, this job offers a chance to finally find connection.

Ada Bunting is a bold sixteen-ear-old from Barbados who arrives in Panama as a stowaway alongside thousands of other West Indians seeking work.

Alone and with no resources, she is determined to find a job that will earn enough money for her ailing sister’s surgery.