by Cristina Henriquez
286 pages
First things first, I bought this book at a used book store. There aren’t many (if any) sales that are book specific around me, so I figured this was the next best thing.
I had seen this book on the shelves and taken interest in it for a while now, but didn’t really know anything about it. The cover and title are just eye catching. So when I saw it at the used book store, I snatched it up! This book also fits perfectly into the “Book about an Immigrant or Refugee” category (and I liked it better than the book I did read for that category).
Okay, so the story is set around the Rivera family. Mother Alma, father Arturo, and daughter Maribel. The three are just arriving in Delaware after a long road trip from Mexico. They are moving to America to enroll Maribel in a school for students with special needs. Arturo has gotten a job with a mushroom farm who has sponsored his visa so the family can come to America legally. Maribel was a bright, beautiful, normal teenage girl until she has an accident that damages her brain. In hopes of helping bring back the “old” Maribel, the family packs up their lives and head north.
The apartment complex that they move to is home to many other immigrants. All of the ones we meet are from Central and South America. The book is formatted in a way that each chapter is told by a character. Many of the chapters are told by Alma and Mayor. Mayor is the teenage neighbor who falls in love with Maribel. Between these chapters that really move the story along, we have random chapters from minor characters. I really liked these chapters because they each gave insight into why that character had come to American and the unique struggles they had in doing so. It was also interesting to see the different levels of success they had each had.
I really liked this book in that it helped to increase the empathy of another culture. There is a chapter in which Alma is trying desperately to communicate, but the language barrier prevents her. Or another chapter when she goes to an English class. As a teacher, this chapter opened my eyes to some of the struggles my own students are facing. I mean, sure she is fictional, but the writing really allows you to get into her thought process. Whereas many times, my students who struggle with learning English either won’t make an effort at all, or they will be too embarrassed to tell me they are struggling.
While I did like the book as a whole, there were still a few parts I didn’t really like. I suppose somethings I just found to be either unnecessary or, on the other hand, underdeveloped. There is a character who I guess I will describe as a “bully” even though it goes beyond that. I think that some of the scenes with him should have been better developed whereas to have a greater impact on the reader. He plays an extremely important role in the lives of this family, but many times I think his parts just get forgotten or downplayed.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read (I finished it in about 4 days but am behind on my writing – surprise, surprise) with a good sense of voice. It wasn’t my favorite book, but I am glad I read it.
3.5 Stars