The new bilingual novel Curtains of Rain blends Chicano culture, queerness, and acceptance to help tell to the story of triumph over trauma.
The book follows the life of Solitiaria, a queer Chicana returning to her hometown on the South Texas border after fleeing 15 years prior.
Supported by her chosen family of gay tíos, her non-binary best friend, and drag queens, Solitaria confronts the homophobia and grief she once felt.
Author Anel I. Flores, a queer activist from San Antonio, said they hope their works will reach someone who needs connection with these topics.
“I can write a story about communities that have been facing difficult times and how they’ve come together to work those difficult times (and) to make those difficult times something beautiful,” Flores said. “In Curtains of Rain, the next thing for me was those difficult times of queer families.”
The group PEN America found queer literature was often a prime target of book challenges and bans. Texas led the nation in book bans during the 2024-2025 school year.
Now more than ever, Flores said, highlighting queer stories is especially important.
“The characters in this book are all of those bad ass readers, writers, professors, activists, fighting for our voices to be used in their classroom, fighting for our voices to be used in their spaces,” Flores said.
Curtains of Rain recently received the 2026 NACCS Tejas Foco Book Award for Fiction, a recognition by the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies.
View a local discussion with Flores below:
