This Is the Only Kingdom

by Jaquira Díaz

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Maricarmen works hard, getting good grades, and cleaning houses after school. She dreams of becoming a singer. When she meets Rey, a young Black musician, she falls in love with his dynamism, his band, and his voice. But when her mother discovers her relationship with a Black man, she puts Maricarmen out on the street. During the rise of the drug crisis sweeping their tight-knit community, Maricarmen fights to make a home for herself, for Rey, for Rey’s young brother Tito, and eventually, for her daughter Nena. When Rey is murdered, it falls to Maricarmen to raise both Nena and Tito, holding down two jobs to take care of them.

Fifteen years later, when Tito doesn’t come home after a night out, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation, as the community that had once rallied to support Rey turns against them. In a moment of desperation, and struggling to protect her teenage daughter, Maricarmen gives up, leaving Nena to find her own way.

From the author of the critically acclaimed Ordinary Girls, a searing and moving portrait of a family torn apart, determined to find their way back.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT, Mystery Thriller, Adult Fiction

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 21, 2025

About the author

Jaquira Díaz is the author of Ordinary Girls: A Memoir, winner of a Whiting Award, a Florida Book Awards Gold Medal, a Lambda Literary Awards finalist, an American Booksellers Association Indies Introduce Selection, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads pick, and finalist for the B&N Discover Prize. She lives in New York and teaches at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Jaquira Díaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book. It’s good. You should definitely read it!

[Book Riot Community]

This is one of Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025:

With a focus on mother-daughter relationships, this is a deeply felt, layered generational drama and coming-of-age novel. Maricarmen’s life changes as a teen in Puerto Rico when her mom throws her out after overhearing her confess her love for a boy she was forbidden to date. Decades later, her daughter Nena finds herself in Miami trying to understand generational trauma. This was one of the very few 2025 releases that I was highly anticipating that actually delivered, and just like Díaz’s memoir, I felt this book inside my bones. Almarie Guerra does a fantastic job narrating the audiobook.

- Jamie Canaves

[R Adrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful read. A coming-of-age novel that confronts poverty, racism, despair, striving, drug addiction, family estrangement, LGTBQ isolation and acceptance, redemption, and love. Told from the perspective of shifting protagonists across multiple generations of the same family. A story that spans decades beginning in a Puerto Rican housing project and ending among a community of friends in Miami Beach. A deeply touching story.

[Scott Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is The Only Kingdom by Jaquira Diaz is a multigenerational family story that takes place in Puerto Rico and South Beach, Miami. It is a plot and character driven novel with quite a bit of tragedy — murder, anti-Black racism, violent homophobia. Diaz’s novel is fast paced and, at times, I felt like I could feel the sweat. The first line of the book sets the tone: “hours before they find him, everything burns.”

This passage gives some idea of the real tragedies found in Diaz’s novel:

The newspapers would mention, briefly, that the Humacao prosecutor opened an investigation. They’d say that after Rey was driven to the Ryder Memorial Hospital emergency room, the police cruiser had been stolen from the hospital parking lot, and when it was found three days later, it had been doused in gasoline, set on fire. No evidence was recovered. They’d say Rey would be remembered as a loyal friend, that he was an addict, that he left behind a daughter, a wife, a little brother. The Humacao Houdini. El Caserío’s Robin Hood. He was twenty-four years old.

I appreciated this explanation of the title:

How many times had she heard heaven described as a kingdom where Jesus sat on a throne? And how many times had she heard them describe the sins that would keep Tito—and Nena—from the kingdom of heaven? But hell wasn’t real, and heaven was no kingdom. This, she wanted to tell them all, this is the only kingdom. Everything else was a lie.

The prose was solid, but I really did not find any passages I wanted to memorize. In my opinion, This is The Only Kingdom is worth reading. It is not sublime.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a free copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

epub. 336 pgs. 18 October 2025. Publishing 21 October 2025.

[BookNightOwl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so engrossed in this story that I couldn’t put it down. I love the way this story is written and how you go from character to character and feels like you are getting a real in depth story. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
This is one of those books that's like a 4-5 for the writing and topics it tackled but like a 3 for me for general desire to keep reading it because of how bleak most of it was. The ending does wrap up in a satisfying way, so I rounded up, but these characters GO THROUGH IT over and over in this book. The story starts in Puerto Rico in the 70s, and specifically in a poor neighborhood affected by drugs, violence, police brutality and pollution from factories. The story then shifts to the 90s in both PR and Florida and follows the progression of fear/distrust of LGBT+ folks as the AIDS epidemic took hold. Through all of this we have a cast of characters trying to find love, meaning in life, and found family over the generations. There is a strong element of generational trauma from mothers to daughters in this story as well as a history of violence for the men. I would recommend this for anyone trying to read more for diverse perspectives, so long as you know what you're getting into. Check triggers if needed.

[Lily McMorrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn’t connect with this book, which is a shame, considering it tackles such important topics in an interesting historical and cultural context.

I found most, if not all, characters to be extremely unlikeable with little to no redeeming qualities. The character growth that did occur felt rushed and simplistic. I understand that not all stories are about characters that we resonate with — some of the best are when we don’t! — however, I felt no payoff or overarching takeaway when I finished this book. I found myself often rooting for Nena, just to continue feeling removed from her.

In terms of the novel’s main themes, which included questions of race, villager mindset/philosophy, generational trauma, addiction, and class/community struggle, I found these topics on two ends of a spectrum. Some themes felt redundant and tiresome. Others felt briefly mentioned and overly simplistic. I would have loved a novel that could’ve shed more depth in the more underdeveloped themes. As other reviews have mentioned, the writing felt very juvenile and unsatisfactory.

I expected more with this novel as its premise held so much promise. As with a movie that isn’t edited correctly, this could’ve used a condensing of some sections and an expanding in others.

I really enjoyed learning more about Puerto Rican culture, something I know very little about and is maybe why I didn’t connect with as intended. I found the author’s depiction of setting and atmosphere a strong point; something that served as a character on its own.

If anything, this book is pointing me down a path to explore more Latinx stories, voices, and literature.

[Patty Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been craving a story like this for a while and I finally found it! The story centers around Maricarmen and her daughter, Nena, as they navigate life in a Puerto Rican project.

Maricarmen falls in love with Rey, the neighborhood's resident musician and bad boy. After Rey is murdered, it is up to Maricarmen to make a life for herself, Nena and Rey's brother, Tito.

This book tore me to pieces, the stories felt at the same time familiar but so very new. This is not a fun read, but these characters have you rooting for them in every page.

Read this!

Thank you to Algonquin and author for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweeping, epic saga of a multi generational puerto rican family as they face rebellion, trauma and growth. Once I started this, I could not put it down. This isn't my typical genre, but was recommended by a family member and I am so glad I picked it up.

[Pyroclastic Ash]

Pausing at 25%
Resuming in January

[Jenni Nahm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Algonquin for providing me with an early copy through the #GoodreadsGiveaway.

This Is The Only Kingdom is a very impactful coming-of-age book that shows how support systems, or the lack thereof, and one's physical appearance influenced the lives of Maricarmen and her daughter Nenu despite growing up in the same neighborhood and facing the same threats of drug addiction, police brutality, and economic hardship. It tackles racism, sexism, homophobia, and their consequences for the main characters, even if these attitudes didn't directly target them. Overall, I thought this was a great and insightful read and I loved being able to receive this book before it was published!

[Alicia Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Only Kingdom is a multigenerational story spanning decades that is set in Puerto Rico and Miami. We're introduced to Maricarmen, who dream of leaving El Caserio and carving out a space for herself. We also follow Nena , who is struggling with her emerging feelings towards her best friend while grieving the loss of her uncle.

I have previously read Jaquira Diaz's memoir. If you have read it & enjoyed it, This is the Only Kingdom will be right up your alley.

What made the story so unforgettable for me were the characters. As I was reading I felt like I was in El Caserio with our characters dancing and having a good time. There were parts that were challenging to read. The characters are really put through the ringer. I suggest looking up possible trigger warnings. Ill include some here: homophobia, & police violence.

Thank you to Netgalley and Algonquin books for an advanced reader's copy of This is the Only Kingdom by Jaquira Diaz.

[Allison Meakem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toward the end of This Is the Only Kingdom, Jaquira Díaz’s debut novel, one of her protagonists finally puts the book’s title into context: “[H]ell wasn’t real, and heaven was no kingdom,” she thinks, “this is the only kingdom.” It is the 1990s in Puerto Rico, and a Black gay man has just been killed and denied a Catholic funeral.

The kingdom known to Díaz’s characters is the projects of Humacao, Puerto Rico. Her multigenerational novel is set in el Caserío Padre Rivera, a place “people left … in a police car or a body bag or a celebration, their story all over the local papers.” The community confronts racism, homophobia, poverty, and U.S. imperialism. In the process, they turn against each other.

The novel begins in 1975. Maricarmen and her sister, Loli, are among the few white children in el Caserío, a mostly Black community. Their mother, Blanca, kicks Maricarmen out when she starts dating a Black boy named Rey... [[READ THE REST IN FP: https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/03/...]]

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this story a lot. I listened to some of it and it helped me with the Spanish pronunciations. When I was physically reading I could pronounce the names correctly. Maricarmen is a beautiful name.

My only critique is perhaps that the last part of the book after Nena runs away seemed too rushed and months go by without description. I would’ve liked to read more about Nena‘s growth and maturity. At least at the end, she and her mother reconciled and she told off Blanca (you go girl!) which was literally perfect.

Overall a great read.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book that covers some very dark themes including drug addiction, homophobia, racism, and police brutality. The neighborhood is vividly rendered, as are the characters. The intergenerational nature of the story works really well. It's hard to see the paths some of these characters go down, particularly the first generation. At times I felt like I dodged a bullet only for the bullet to come back around. It's a good reminder of the humanity and history of the people we often take for granted (i.e. our mothers). It's a sad story, but it's not without its moments of hope, particularly at the end. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a heavy, hard book to read, but so worthwhile. It's difficult to think that the story is based in reality as tragic as it is, but reality sucks, right.
It's the story of generational trauma, trauma of a community sentenced to fail; the story of finding yourself and staying true to that in a world and place that doesn't get you, wants you gone in every way possible - preferably death. I liked that there we left off on some optimistic note, and I love the family Nena found in the end.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so heartbreaking. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much while reading a book. The generational trauma and struggles these characters went through was so tough to read because you just know these stories are someone’s real life story.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was not an easy read, but it was very well written & i enjoyed the character development!

[Chispita Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 beautiful and so sad.

[Emmeline van der Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally couldn’t put this book down. The character development, pace, writing style was perfect

[Tena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the most frustrating book I’ve read in a long time. Constant suffering, very little empathy from supporting and background characters/members of the community, so little that it was kind of hard to believe. You want to fall in love with these characters but it was almost like you purposely weren’t allowed to actually get to know them beyond their vices/sexualities since there was only a certain depth to them? I don’t know how else to describe that. The main positives of the story are the setting and the cultural references.

[Kevin Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute gut-punch of a debut. Justice for my man Tito. Fuck I want some arroz con pollo.

[apollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Is the Only Kingdom moved me so much it quickly became one of my favourite reads of 2025. An exploration of family, community, prejudice, and grief taking place in past and present working-class Puerto Rico, this book kept my attention throughout the story of both Maricarmen and her children.

The characters in the novel were all unique and interesting in their own respect. The progression of Maricarmen and Rey's relationship was extremely well-developed and heartbreaking, providing a look of the effects of systemic issues like over policing, racism, and drug use only exacerbated by one's standing in society. I learned a lot about Puerto Rican barrios through this book, and hope to dive deeper into the history in the future. The incorporation of music into the story as a way to showcase community, family, and grief was also wonderfully done. Furthermore, Maricarmen, although undeniably in a higher position of privilege than Rey, is also faced with challenges such as misogyny, and other challenges that come with being a young mother. I felt for all of the characters, and was really inspired by the image of community in the book. When Maricarmen is a child, and also when she later experiences loss and the birth of her children, her neighbours are there for her with food and company.

Although this is indeed a heartfelt aspect of the novel, it is contrasted with how her community shuns Nena and Maricarmen after a homophobic hate crime that affects them, showing how homophobia and prejudice is still rife beside all the love and support. Maricarmen's mother, a white woman, looks distastefully upon Maricarmen's love for Rey because of her racism, and her hate affects both her child and her grandchild Nena. Nena was another masterfully written character, with her complex relationship with her mother and the love she has for her brother resonating deeply with me. I liked how she wasn't afraid to bite back and also make a life for herself on her own, and how her queerness was integral to her story. The writing flowed really well, and I never once felt bored or disconnected from the story.

Overall, this was a wonderful but devastating novel, one I will highly recommend to anyone who enjoys literary fiction. I also recommend listening to all the songs in the novel while reading, it is a beautiful genre of music. Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[AnaLuz Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

“But hell wasn’t real, and heaven was no kingdom. This, she wanted to tell them all, this is the only kingdom. Everything else was a lie.”

This is a multilayered and complex multigenerational family drama. It’s set with the backdrop of a Caserío, a public housing project in Puerto Rico. Exploring themes of poverty, class, race, sexuality, discrimination, religion, disease.

When Maricarmen meets Rey el Cantante, her life takes a turn she never expected, setting a course that will lead the teen to grow up and take adult responsibilities too early. With heroin wreaking havoc in the community and the police persecution that brings a death no one expected.
Years later, her daughter Nena and Tito, Rey’s younger brother are living with the consequences of their families actions and also trying to survive an environment that’s changing, with AIDS now looming and causing fear.

I absolutely loved this novel. Living in the east side of PR, many of the places mentioned in the book are areas I’m very familiar with. The history of the island plays a huge part in how the story develops for the characters. The author does a masterful work in weaving all the complex topics in a meaningful way that helps develop the story.

One of my favorite experiences was recognizing that the chapter titles are classic salsa songs, from many of the legends and greats of the island. I recognized so many, my salsa loving husband would be very proud.

If you enjoy family dramas, complex social situations, characters that feel messy and real, I highly recommend this one.

I received a gifted copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Rosalyn Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the monthly pick for a virtual book club I’m part of, and the format is one of my favorites: we discuss amongst ourselves first, then the author joins the conversation. Hearing Jaquira Díaz talk about her “why” and her intentions behind the story made me appreciate the book so much more.


On the page, it felt like there were a lot of themes and threads competing for space, which kept me from fully loving it. But the author’s insight, openness, and personality added depth to the reading experience enough that I walked away liking the book more than I expected to. Sometimes hearing the creator’s heart changes the way a story lands.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A generational family drama / coming-of-age story that observes a lot of social issues across class, color, gender, sexuality, and addiction in a tight-knit Puerto Rican community. I enjoyed the complexity with which the characters were rendered - no one was flawless - but the story rarely captured me on a deeper emotional level. Maybe there were too many threads going on at once for me, and not enough time for them to breathe.

[Bee]

“She was running, but a strong wind could carry her away”

'This is the Only Kingdom' has beautiful and lyrical writing that tells a difficult story about community and family intersecting with racialized identity, economic barriers, music and institutions. It’s also a queer story where that community drops right out from under you. It’s a love letter to a place that has conditions to its love.

This is a novel that contains a world, not just a story, behind its cover. It starts in the sugar cane fields of Puerto Rico in the 1990s and it lets you live inside in its pages as it travels back in time from that moment. There is a realness that exists in the characters that makes them feel like they are living just beside the stories of real people. (The author says in the liner notes that the book is inspired by real people she knew or had heard stories of but that they are blended up and fictionalized to the point they are their own distinct entity.) And that grounding in reality really comes thru and is a strength in the story.

It also is very much told as a story of Puerto Rico and el Caserío. While the broader themes feel like they could connect to other places and times the roots and the atmosphere are Puerto Rico and its music. Every chapter title is named almost exclusively after Puerto Rican salsa songs (I had to google) and they set a mood and create a potential playlist for reading. (In an online interview the author said the song named for each chapter is the one she listened to as she wrote that chapter.)

This was an emotionally deep and nuanced novel but it was a rough read and I think it’s important to check content warnings for this one. To be honest, I would have passed on this if I had checked them before hand. That’s not to say I regret reading it - by the time it got heavy I felt like I couldn’t abandon the characters and needed to see their story through. It was a devastating read at times but it is an emotionally honest one that felt like it gave way more story than its 300 pages.


“Hell wasn’t real, and heaven was no kingdom. This, she wanted to tell them all, this is the only kingdom. Everything else was a lie.”



some content warnings: racism, colorism, parental abandonment, police harassment, murder by police, grooming, Anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech and harassment, contains scenes of anti-LGBTQ+ violence (one resulting in death), AIDS epidemic, AIDS related death

[MD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Updated:

Part 1 was strong, but it gradually went downhill from there, especially toward the end where everything felt rushed. Blanca’s sudden shift in feelings toward her child didn’t fully convince me, Tito’s killer felt forced, and Rey’s friends seemed to disappear from the story until it was convenient for them to return.

That said, there were still a few lines that stayed with me:

- This, she wanted to tell them all, this is the only kingdom. Everything else was a lie.

- But she knew from her own experience that the people you loved and trusted could hurt you most of all.

Final rating is 3 stars. Still an enjoyable and interesting read with a lot going on, and in a good way, it felt like watching a teleserye.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

This Is The Only Kingdom isn’t something I would normally pick up, but I read it because it was chosen as our BOTM. I only started the morning before our discussion and have finished Part 1 so far.

My favorite character is Doña Matos. This excerpt perfectly captures why:

After a while, she started leaving food on the little table on the back balcony… Every morning she left something. Every afternoon… the food was gone. She hadn’t seen him, but he had eaten, and she was glad.

Part 1 gave me a perspective very different from my own. We were not well-off growing up, but I never had to work while studying. Seeing Maricarmen navigate work, love, and responsibility at such a young age made me reflect on how much our environment shapes our choices and the direction of our lives.

So far, I’d rate Part 1 a 4. It felt eye-opening, yet still grounded and familiar in a way that made me think I could have lived the same life under different circumstances.

[Ja · Rating 5 out of 5]

A generational story about family, identity, and grief. We start in Puerto Rico focusing on Maricarmen and Rey as they struggle to find a way to make a life for themselves when life in the neighborhood is nothing but dangerous. Fifteen years later, we get behind the perspective of Tito, Rey's brother, who is in high school and struggling to fit in where being gay isn't welcome. Later on, Maricarmen's daughter, Nena, is dropped off at her grandmother's house in South Beach, Miami, where she learns to survive in a community that doesn't welcome her. As we learn about these characters and how fraught their relationship is with one another, we can begin to reflect on how tragedies and trauma affect not only those it impacts, but their future generations as well.

"How many times had she heard heaven described as a kingdom where Jesus sat on a throne? And how many times had she heard the describe the sins that would keep Tito - and Nena - from the kingdom of heaven? But hell wasn't real, and heaven was no kingdom. This, she wanted to tell them all, this is the only kingdom. Everything else was a lie."

This quote alone helps put the concept of religion, and the kingdom of God, into question. With all that is happening to these characters, can they really find salvation amidst all the pain? The hurt, the fury, the hopelessness of it all is encapsulated in this line, but there is a silver lining. As bleak as it sounds, these characters do find a light at the end as they start to seek out a way to resolve their broken relationships. Even though this might be the only kingdom, it's one of their own making. And they can make it something positive.

[Ricki Brodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaquira Diaz puts you in an impoverished town in Puerto Rico, where work opportunities are at a minimum, police are feared and untrustworthy, machoism prevails, a basketball court brings friends together and a sense of no escape prevails. In this multigenerational coming of age story. Sixteen year old Maricarmen with her best friend/younger sister follow a local band of friends to their gigs. White Mari falls in love with the black lead singer, Rey, and becomes pregnant. Thrown out of her house, she moves in with Rey, his baby brother, Tito, and his father who dies shortly after. At sixteen, Mari became a mother to her brother-in-law and mother to Nenu. Rey dies and single parent, Mari works two jobs to provide for and protect her family. At eighteen and fifteen, gay and best friends Tito and Nenu, have faced racism, bullying, gender shaming and loneliness. An incident happens that changes everyone’s lives.

This novel examines so many issues from poverty, loss, estrangement, drug addiction, what it means to be black, gay and gay black, police brutality, biological family, community family to love and acceptance. However, it is never preachy which enhances the novel. The stories of Mari and Nenu are fully developed. We are privy to their inner thoughts and struggles and are praying they will survive and thrive. I found it a compulsive read. I wish there were a glossary for some of the Spanish words; but that didn’t stop the pacing or enjoyment.

Thank you Algonquin and NetGalley for the advance copy.