Atria 2008

Number 1 on Norway’s Best Seller Lists

Jamilet is a beautiful young woman, but a dreadful birthmark spreads across her back and legs like a horrible, dripping stain of blood. The superstitious neighbors of the small Mexican village where she lives shun her. This angel with the devil’s mark decides to escape north and cross illegally into Los Angeles in search of the medical miracle that will erase her stigma.

After obtaining false documents, Jamilet finds work in a mental hospital, where she is assigned to care for Señor Peregrino, an elderly Spaniard as unpleasant as he is mysterious. Jamilet is strictly ordered to keep her distance, but the old man seizes her papers and will only return them if she listens to his story. Jamilet agrees to the bargain, and Peregrino takes her back to his youth, when he embarked on a mystical and romantic journey along the legendary Camino de Santiago.

The young Mexican woman and Señor Peregrino forge a spiritual bond that proves far more healing for them both than modern medicine.

A moving story about redemption, faith, and the power of love. Samartin offers a fresh and revealing perspective on the true meaning of beauty—an extraordinary tale with unforgettable characters.