Night at the Fiestas

Night at the Fiestas (2017) is a collection of ten short stories by Kirstin Valdez Quade. Her work previously appeared in The New Yorker, Narrative Magazine, The Best American Short Stories, and The O. Henry Prize Stories.

In the first story, “Namecia,” the story’s namesake, Namecia, moves in with her cousin Maria after her mother falls into a coma. Though Maria finds Namecia charismatic, she also resents her. Namecia tells Maria that she killed her grandfather and mother, which Maria believes. She continues to see her mother and other adults treat Namecia favorably until Maria can’t take it anymore and accuses Namecia of being a murderer. Maria is sent to live with relatives. Later she learns that Namecia witnessed her father kill her grandfather and put her mother in a coma.

In “Mojave Rats,” Monica and Elliot live in a trailer in the Mojave Desert with their young daughter, Cordelia, while Elliot works on his PhD. One day, Cordelia misses the school bus and Monica attempts to keep her from getting bored by showing her a beautiful dress leftover from her first marriage. Cordelia is not interested in the dress and so Monica gives it to a neighbor. Later, she regrets giving the dress away since she knows Cordelia will want it when she is older.



“The Five Wounds” centers on Amadeo who has been chosen to play Jesus in an Easter celebration. Currently living with his pregnant teenage daughter, Angel, he believes that her pregnancy reflects poorly on him. Amadeo is concerned with not letting the members of his extended family find out about the pregnancy. On the day of the pageant, Angel walks with Amadeo and some of the spectators heckle her. Amadeo takes her pain as his own, channeling it into his performance as Christ.

“Night at the Fiestas” finds sixteen-year-old Frances traveling by bus to visit family for the fiestas. She is embarrassed by her father, the bus driver. A man sits down and starts harassing her, which Frances finds both annoying and flattering. When he gets off the bus, he leaves a bag of money behind. Later, Frances meets him again, and he fails to recognize her or realize that she has his money, which frustrates Frances who would rather have attention.

Responsible Jeff and flighty Brook meet at their grandmother’s funeral in “The Guest House.” They learn that their abusive father, Victor, has been staying in their grandfather’s guest house. The three argue about what to do with their grandmother’s property, which leads to an uncharacteristic outburst from Jeff due to unresolved issues with Victor.



In “Family Reunion,” Claire wants to become a Mormon to fit in with all the other girls at her elementary school. Finally, a girl named Morgan invites her to spend time with her religious family. However, the event goes poorly when it turns out that Morgan is a cruel brat and her mother is an alcoholic and a hypocrite.

“Jubilee” focuses on Andrea who is attending a party at the wealthy Lowell farm since her father is working there as a caterer. She wants to shame the Lowells for treating her Mexican father as a prop. Andrea has a fraught relationship with Parker Lowell, a girl about her own age. At the party, she learns that Parker recently tried to commit suicide; Parker shouts at her and calls her condescending when Andrea attempts to express her sympathy.

Crystal works as a church receptionist in “Ordinary Sins.” Pregnant with twins, she regularly has casual sex, which leads to a great deal of guilt, especially around the two priests Father Paul and Father Leon. However, knowing that Father Paul is a drunk, she feels a kinship with him because of his sins, while at the same time fearing the power he has over her.



In “Canute Commands the Tides,” Margaret, a painter, moves into a new house. Her husband will join her later but he is currently tied up with business. Margaret hires a cleaner named Carmen to help her get the house in order. One day, Carmen shows up with her granddaughter Autumn, which excites Margaret. The three have a pleasant day, until Carmen’s son, Reuben shows up, shouting accusations and firing a gun. Margaret grabs her dog and flees the house, realizing that she doesn’t understand an can’t control Carmen’s family situation.

“The Manzanos” centers on Ofelia, a young girl who lives with her grandfather. She has an unexplained illness that she believes is caused by a curse. Ofelia’s mother and grandmother have both abandoned the family because Ofelia’s grandfather used to be abusive. Ofelia, however, is afraid of being left alone; she clings to her grandfather, wishing to die at the exact same time that he does so she doesn’t have to feel the grief of being left alone again.