Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. High Spirits is a collection of eleven interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora, by debut author Camille Gomera-Tavarez. It is a book centered on one extended family—the Beléns—across multiple generations. It is set in the fictional small town of Hidalpa—and Santo Domingo and Paterson and San Juan and Washington Heights, too. It is told in a style both utterly real and distinctly magical—and the stories explore machismo, mental health, family, and identity. But most importantly, High Spirits represents the first book from Camille GomeraTavarez, who takes her place as one of the most extraordinary new voices to emerge in years.