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The Grand Paloma Resort

The Grand Paloma Resort

A Novel

About the Book

The Grand Paloma Resort is a lush paradise in the Dominican Republic where the guests enjoy incredible luxury, and the staff is always eager to please—that is, until they are pushed to the brink.

Laura is a local Dominican woman who, through sheer hard work, has risen through the ranks to become manager at the Grand Paloma Resort. Her idea to pair a “platinum” guest with their own resort employee to attend to their every whim has been wildly successful, and she’s just weeks away from a promotion that could blaze a path for her off the resort and toward a life of opportunity. If only her younger sister, Elena—who she’s looked after since the death of their mother—could get with the program.

Elena has tried to live up to her sister’s expectations, but to escape the drudgery of waiting on rich tourists, she’s become increasingly dependent on pills and partying. As a babysitter at the resort, she’s at the beck and call of guests who are indulging their worst impulses and need someone else to watch their kids while they do so. Now, after an accident, a child left in her charge is believed dead, and Elena knows she'll be held responsible.

When Elena runs into the child’s father at a nearby beachfront watering hole, he offers her an obscene amount of money for private time with two young local girls. Elena pockets the cash to fund her escape and prays she’s gotten the girls out of harm’s way. But then the girls are reported missing.

Set over the course of seven days, The Grand Paloma Resort offers an unforgettable story of class, family, and community, building to an intense climax in which the true costs of luxury are laid bare, redeemed only by true acts of love.
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Praise for The Grand Paloma Resort

“Cleyvis Natera is a masterful storyteller, and this irresistible novel is a master class in human nature at its most vulnerable, most callous, and most righteous.”—Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

“One of the most compelling stories you will read this year.”—Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake and Good Dirt

“With compelling characters and a narrative that steals your breath from the first page, The Grand Paloma Resort offers an unforgettable, unexpected story that will upend readers’ assumptions about power, pleasure, and moral salvation.”—Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming

“A deeply felt, utterly unputdownable read.”—Karin Slaughter, author of Pretty Girls

“A tense page-turner that unsparingly interrogates allegiances, and belonging, and who gets to decide how you survive.”—Cristina García, author of Vanishing Maps

“A heart-stopping, gut-punch of a novel that doesn’t just tell a story—it grabs you by the throat and won’t let go.”—Angie Cruz, author of How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water

“Fast-paced and richly rendered, this is a novel I won’t soon forget.”—Elizabeth Acevedo, author of The Poet X

“This is a fresh, critical twist on the resort genre that will leave readers on the edge of their seats!”—Myriam J. A. Chancy, author of Village Weavers

“The Grand Paloma Resort is a literary White Lotus. Through a rich cast of characters, Natera has written a sexy, sinister, and intricate tale that serves as an indictment of the haves at the expense of the have-nots.”—Alejandro Varela, author of The Town of Babylon
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About the Author

Cleyvis Natera
Cleyvis Natera is the author of Neruda on the Park. She was born in the Dominican Republic, migrated to the United States at ten years old, and grew up in New York City. She holds a BA from Skidmore College and a MFA from New York University. Her writing has won awards and fellowships from the International Latino Book Awards, PEN America, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, The Kenyon Review’s Writers Workshops, the Vermont Studio Center, the Hermitage Artist Retreat, Rowland Writers Retreat, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is currently a Fulbright Specialist. She lives with her husband and two young children in Montclair, New Jersey. The Grand Paloma Resort is her second novel. More by Cleyvis Natera
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