In the Time of the Butterflies

In 1994, Dedé Mirabal lives in the house where her three sisters used to live. The dead sisters are known as the “butterflies,” and they are martyrs and national heroes. In 1994 Dedé talks to an interviewer about her sisters, and her narrative is interrupted with memories.Story goes between the four sisters from 1943 to their deaths in 1960:Dedé’s memories, Minerva’s point of view, Patria’s point of view, and entries from María Teresa’s diaries.Dedé Mirabal, the last surviving Mirabal sister, tells the story of how her sisters grew up to be martyrs and national heroes in the Dominican Republic. She recounts how her sisters first came to political awareness during the reign of dictator Rafael Trujillo.

by Julia Alvarez