Reviewed by: Sandra L.
Rating: 5 stars
Review: The first thing that grabbed my attention was the writing
style. It brings you back to the days of Mexican gatherings filled with música,
cerveza, y carne asada with a telenovela blaring in the background. I
especially liked how the author sprinkled in Spanish throughout the story like
chile over brown rice—it definitely gave it that extra kick. It was almost like
the book was written in both English and Spanish; I’d say it was about 85%
English and 15% Spanish. In fact, it was almost as if my abuela had told this
story with her broken English and (loud) Spanish expression.
The title definitely served the story well. This was the
“damas and dramas” of Ana Ruiz with the pain she suffers from a broken marriage
and the devastation she endures when her daughter looks at her with hate. And
all Ana wants to do it fix it, and, for some reason, she feels a quinceañera
will do it. Was she crazy? Was she trying to be mean by pushing the idea? No,
she was just desperate—desperate to reconnect with her daughter, Carmen, and
make it like it was before. Very heartfelt—but, again, crazy!
Carmen was a brat. It was unfair how she was so angry at
her mom without getting all the facts straight. And why was everyone (her
brother, her cousin, her tía, etc.) being so nice to her when she would just
roll her eyes or snap at them with a smart-ass comment? That would frustrate
anybody.
I liked how Ana got all giddy and nervous around Montalvo
(especially when he took his shirt off) because it showed that she was still a
woman, a young girl in “mom” costume. It was great that she could see a partner
in him—not as a lover, per se, even though they were painted as a compatible
couple throughout the story, but as a friend who’s gone through the same thing
she is. It’s true what they say: misery likes company.
The plot was so well done that you can feel all the anger
and pain of each character (they all have their personal demons and hidden
skeletons.) It is a roller coaster ride of surprises with such a fervent impact
that make the reader laugh, scream, and even throw up a little. A gripping
read.
One minor thing I found a bit odd at first was how the
author would deviate from one character’s setting, thoughts, and dialogue, and
then transition to another character’s thoughts and feelings all within the
same paragraph. Additionally, the story seemed to have been told in a
fortune-teller kind of way; not only do we hear the story as it happened—as it
was witnessed—but we also learn of what becomes of everyone years in the future.
This definitely pushed the traditional fly-on-the-wall narration, but, somehow,
it worked, and a masterpiece was born through unorthodox methods.
