The Many Mothers of
Dolores Moore
a novel
"A powerful story about identity, ancestry, and the invisible threads that tie us together." (Booklist, starred review)
For fans of Rebecca Serle and Elizabeth Acevedo, a magically insightful novel about a woman's journey to discover her roots and what it means to carry our ancestors with us.
International Latino Book Award | Gold Medal
Minnesota Book Award | Finalist
Friends of American Writers | Literature Award
In the span of a year, Dolores Moore has become a thirty-five-year-old orphan. After the funeral of the last member of her family, Dorrie has never felt more alone. That is, except for a Greek chorus of deceased relatives whose voices follow her around giving unsolicited advice and opinions. And they won’t stop talking about the deathbed promise she made to return to her birthplace in Colombia.
But with a recent break-up, losing her job, and facing a daunting inheritance of an old Victorian house and two orange tabbies, there’s no way she can leave the country. However when an old flame offers to housesit, the chorus agrees that there's no room for excuses. Armed with only a scrap of a hand drawn map, Dorrie sets off to find out where—and who—she came from.
As seen in Book Riot | Lit Hub | Geek Girl Authority | Sunset |
Pioneer Press | MSP Magazine | People
As heard on All the Books WNYC
With lyrical insight and emotional depth, The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore explores what it means to lose your foundation and build a new one from memory, love, and the places that call you home.
—Booklist, STARRED reviewPaperback of The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore coming Oct. 27, 2026
Also available as an audiobook
read by Stacy Gonzalez
“Gonzalez's narration proves distinguished through her emotional precision and versatility as she seamlessly shifts among characters, genders, and accents in a compelling performance.”
“Anika Fajardo’s charming and poignant new book is a map of loss, motherhood, and magic that welcomes the reader home. ”
Perfect for Book Groups
I love to visit book groups in person (Twin Cities) or via Zoom. Please reach out if you’re interested in having an author visit with your group.
Playlist
Why, yes, there’s a Many Mothers of Dolores Moore playlist! Inspired by the playlist curated by Bookmarks & Backbeats for the Uncorked Book Club, here’s the songs I think capture the novel:
Runaway Train | Soul Asylum
Minnesota-based band’s classic 90s song captures Dorrie’s headspace at the beginning of the novel when she feels lost and aloneFuneral | Pheobe Bridgers
Wistful song from indie-folk star Pheobe Bridgers is emblematic of the losses Dorrie has faced from her birth parents to the mothers that raised herDream Song | Samia
This song by Samia (who’s from Minnesota) feels, like Dorrie, both hopeful and melancholyLa Noche | Joe Arroyo
Colombian salsa that sends the listener to Cali’s nightclubsLa Gota Fría | Carlos Vives
Dorrie and her friends in Cali would hear this classic Colombian cumbia at every cornerLife According to Raechel | Madison Cunningham
Ethereal, melancholy song that reflects both the tragedy and poignancy of Dorrie’s Greek chorus of female relativesBuscándola | Maná
A song about searching that Dorrie would appreciate for its geography
Recent cook club selection at:
One Book/One Town (Easton, CT)
Glass Half Full Book Club (Northfield Library)
Uncorked Book Club (Comma Bookshop, Minneapolis)
MahtoREADi One Book One Community (Mahtomedi, MN)
“Anika Fajardo’s The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore is a vibrant, expansive, warm-hearted novel about the places that shape us, the loved ones who never leave us, and all the wrong turns that eventually bring us right back to where we belong. ”