Great Divide, The \ Entre dos aguas (Spanish edition) : 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 Americans.

Panama, 1907: It is said that the Canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built. 

At a railroad station next to the thundering excavation zone, a young Panamanian canal digger named Omar collapses. For a quiet local boy to take this job was a shocking decision—especially to his father, a fisherman who resents the foreign powers clamoring for a slice of their country. 

Only one person comes to Omar’s aid: a teenaged girl named Ada, newly arrived from Barbados alongside thousands of other West Indian people seeking work. Carefree by nature, she must roll up her sleeves and quickly find a job to send money home for her ailing sister’s medical treatment. 

A prominent American official spots this scene from afar. John Oswald has dedicated his life to scientific research, and he has arrived here in single-minded pursuit of one goal: eliminating malaria. But now, his wife Marian has fallen ill herself, and he needs a dedicated caregiver like Ada to look after her.

From this chance encounter unfurls a sweeping tale of ambition, loyalty, and sacrifice. Searing and empathetic, The Great Divide explores the intersecting lives of activists, fishmongers, laborers, journalists, neighbors, doctors, and soothsayers—those rarely acknowledged by history even as they carved out its course.