And yet, in her new release “Have You Seen Marie?” – Cisneros’ first novel since 2002’s “Caramelo” – the San Antonio, Texas-based author departs from the full-length novel and poetry she’s best known for and presents a short story about a pair of women who embark on an emotional journey to find a pet cat that disappears in the wake of the narrator’s death. The story – expressively wrought and full of picturesque illustrations of San Antonio and its colorful characters by visual artist Ester Hernandez – is at its heart a parable for adults, whose themes of death, mourning and loss take on new meaning when presented within a simple tale about a cat gone astray. Cisneros, whose awards include MacArthur and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, spoke to NBC Latino about the inspiration for the book and how through the process of writing it, found healing in the aftermath of her own mother’s passing.
