Donna Miscolta brings the old streets to burning life. I can hear these voices, I can smell the cooking. The ghosts step out of these alleys as if they'd never left. Wonderful stuff. --Luis Urrea, author of Into the Beautiful North and Queen of America "Life," Donna Miscolta writes in Hola and Goodbye, "was not about running away, but running toward something." The characters in this intricately linked and exquisitely structured collection of stories do just that. For better or worse, they rush toward life, future-minded despite the past whispering from behind, and fueled by the clashing forces that make us human--courage and recklessness, wisdom and hope, the need to belong and the undeniable instinct to strike out on your own. Miscolta writes with the precision demanded by the short story, but with the range, scope, and generosity we crave in the novel, and what results is an unforgettable reading experience. Hola and Goodbye is a thoroughly satisfying book from a very talented writer. ―Lysley Tenorio, author of Monstress