While this was an entertaining mystery, an enjoyable voice in fiction, the characters told the truth of a national tragedy, immigration. The story line was imaginative but so close to the truth for many undocumented immigrants who enter this country from Mexico, pinning all their hopes and dreams on their oldest and most capable child. They sacrifice so that the children can attend school, strive to learn and earn good grades in hope of a better life for themselves and often for the family as well.
Unfortunately, if the child is a girl, she is most in danger of being sacrificed to the attentions of those who would gain financial and/or sexual advantage over her from her fears for her family’s safety. The story told in this book could easily be founded on a reality. Children impregnated by older men in the community, men sometimes respected because of their success in their business, the girls afraid to reveal they have been raped by those who publicly win the approval of their friends and families. Most horrific of all is women seeking this financial advantage at the cost of a young girl’s future and the political process that overlooks the cost to many in favor of campaign dollar support.
Babies born to babies, the cycle continues with the veil of secrecy, that the girl is somehow to blame. Often her only sin is her silence, necessary to protect her family from the worst fate of all, deportation. When the family is doing all they can to stay together and the law forces parents to return to their country of origin, the children are even more susceptible to the horrors that may befall them as their family protection is lost.
The story depicted was fictional, the alignment to the truth undeniable. The author told the tale in an enjoyable fashion and I read it through in one day, which truly speaks to the author’s ability to spin a tale. Unfortunately, the enjoyment was bittersweet as I was unable to bury my head in the sand as the character’s misfortunes and disappointments are paralleled in reality.
I received this book without cost in exchange for an honest review.
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