Entre naranjos

Rafael, a newly elected deputy, steps back into the sun‑drenched courtyard of his family’s ancestral home in Alcira after months in Madrid’s bustling capital. The marble stairs, the fragrant orange groves, and the quiet echo of his own footsteps remind him of a childhood spent watching the town’s celebrations from the shadows of grand balconies. Outside, the streets hum with the recent triumphal procession that welcomed him, yet inside the house a softer, more intimate drama unfolds between his stern mother and the loyal family friend, Don Andrés.

In the narrow lanes of the old city he walks, the scent of citrus mingles with the cool March wind, and memories of pilgrimages and youthful escapades surface. Rafael feels the weight of his family’s expectations and the political ambitions that swirl around him, while a lingering sense of solitude whispers that he might still be searching for his own path. The novel follows his uneasy balance between public duty and the yearning for a quieter, more authentic self.