State of Wonder

This story is truly an incredible adventure, peopled by intriguing characters and puzzling settings; a genuine page-turner.

Dr Marina Singh works for a pharmaceutical company. Her partner in the laboratory, Dr Anders Eckman travels to the Amazon jungle to check on Dr Annick Swenson, who has been doing a research for a new drug, very pricy for the company, and hasn't given reports about it. After weeks of no correspondence, a letter from Dr Swenson arrives saying Eckman is dead. What? When? How?

There are no answers in the short communication. Consequently, Marina is sent to the jungle with two purposes: to discovers what is behind Eckman's death (to start with, where is the body?) and to extract information from Dr Swenson about the new drug. She is sent by her boss Mr Fox.

However, not everything is what appears to be.
1- Mr Fox is not only Marina's boss, but also her (secret) lover.
2- Dr Swenson is not only the scientist who is developing a new drug, but she is also Marina's former mentor, and shares with her a tragic moment in Marina's life.
3- The narrative is not only adventurouss and intriguing, but imaginative and colourful. You can feel the humidity of the jungle air coming off the pages, the characters' decisions hiding obscure intentions, the carnavalesque Bovenders, Rodrigo's unvaluable help, 'Easter' pizzling identity, and more!!!!

Ann Patchett's timing is excellent, keeping the pace of the narrative as she includes information to build the characters' past and present. In few lines, she unearths important data for the plot as you have to be careful not to skip content essential for you to understand the development of the mystery.

Learning and entertainment together, this novel will keep you awake long hours past your bedtime, unable to stop reading, to close the book, to leave the jungle.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

The Farming of Bones

'Misery won't touch you gentle. It always leaves its thumbprints on you; sometimes it leaves for others to see, sometimes for nobody but you to know of.'

This story tells the masacre of Haitains in Dominican Republic in 1937. These two countries are divided by a river, a borderline easy to cross by thousands of peasants looking for work harvesting the sugarcanes. Here is where we find Amabelle, a young Haitian who works in the house of Señora Valencia since she was a child, becoming an orphan as her parents died trying to cross the river/border.

She loves Sebastian. She delivers Señora Valencia's babies. She talks with Papi, as he listens to the radio, trying to get news from Spain, involved in war. During the first part of the book, we get the daily life in the Dominican Republic, people's traditions and beliefs.

A car accident tells us that the situation of the Haitians is pretty unstable. Suddenly, danger arrives and the atmosphere changes completely, becoming the book a page-turner, the reader escaping alongside the narrator, feeling the edge of the machetes, the burning of whole villages.

The mention of vultures clouding the sky gives us the exact measure of the killing; survivors retelling what they have been witnesses of; the reader grasping the horror developing unstoppably.

The memories of the survivors become the collective history written in the wind, the dead kept alive by those who remember them, by those who went through hell and stand alive, a journey that has no end.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

History of the Rain

'We tell stories. We tell stories to pass the time, or go more deeply into it. We tell stories to heal the pain of living.'

This is a book about stories, about retelling and the importance of books in the lives of the readers, about finding answers in the pages of books, in poetry, in the flowing of the river, as the salmon does, upcurrent.

Ruth is a teenaged narrator, telling the story of her family. The first one is her grandfather Reverend Swain and the 'Impossible Standard' he sets for himself and that sets the bar for the following generations. Later, grandfather Abraham, and his 'History of the Salmon in Ireland', struggling to find meaning in a place in which he seriously doesn't belong. Last but not least, Ruth's father Virgil, the poet who never stops working, who has 'ash in his soul'. From him Ruth and Aegny arrive, they own stories waiting ahead of them.

I 've found the story beautifully written. The poetic language makes the narrative flow, God becoming a fisher, hooking people to their destinies, to the after life, off the river.
The characters are described intelligently 'Young Father Tipp came, parked his Starlet the way priest park, on the outwr edge, carried his missal low down and a little behind him the way Clint Estwood carried his gun, loke he'd only use it if he had to.' You imagine them clearly, the humorous tone involving the most incredulous parts, making them believable and understandable.

Those who doesn't have 'Human-Glue', who hide themselves in books, who escape from reality sometimes, will feel totally connected to this story, to the idea that the answers to the big issues are found in books, in the lives of others, in other's adventures.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

English Passengers

This narrative is truly a historical adventure. The reader can feel the salt of the sea wind throughout the whole story along the humorous and dramatic moments lived by an expedition full of colourful characters.

It is the year 1857 and a voyage is leaving to Tasmania as it is believed to be heaven on earth (literally). One of the leaders is Reverend Geoffrey Wilson, who is hoping to find the true site of the Garden of Eden. Through letters and journals, he communicates his feelings and ideas as he faces the perils of the journey and the increasing discontent among the crew.

An antagonist of the reverend is the racial-theorist Dr Potter, whose logical thinking and scientific beliefs show the reader the ideas of the time regarding the aboriginal people and the exotic flora and fauna he is wishing to encounter.

Through the story, the reader is presented with the retellings of the experiences of different characters, like the captain of the ship, Captain Illiam Quillian Kewly, who keeps a secret from everybody: his ship is fleeing British Customs as it is a smuggling vessel. Another interesting point of view is Peevay's, an aboriginal young boy, member of a Tasmanian tribe unsuccessfully fighting the colonisers, their religious influences and the social customes they are trying to enforce in the local inhabitans.

Matthew Kneale uses irony and sarcasm to deal with the less likeable characters and moments. The explotation of the natural resources and the cruelty used with the aborigines are portrayed as the consequence of the stupidity of those who believed they were doing their best to bring civilisation to the corners of the world.

Nowadays, we are aware of the atrocities committed in the name of progress; however, surprises are waiting ahead for those who deserve being punished for their actions.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

The Invention of Wings

This is a story of powerful women. Women who fight against the restrains of their gender, the colour of their skin and the social customs of their time, and become free in their own terms.

One of them is Sarah Grimke (based on a real-life person), who despite her family's ideas, from a very young age, becomes a determined abolitionist. Witnessing the cruelty of the masters's treatment to the slaves, she leaves her family in the south and moves to the North, giving  a series of lecture and becoming an advocate for the civil rights' movement.

The other one is the slave Sarah is given as a present in her 11th birthday. Her name is Hetty 'Handful' Grimke,  having that nickname as consequence of her unbreakable spirit. Being intelligent and sensible, she becomes a friend with Sarah and together dream of a world in which they would be equal to men.

'The Invention of Wings' makes reference to a quilt Handful makes with her mother Charlotte as the latter tells her how their ancestors used to have wings, portraying them with beautiful images in this piece of cloth essential to keep Handful's dreams of freedom alive when the hard times come.

A page-turner, Sur Monk Kidd has created another story ( she is the author of 'The Secret Life of Bees') in which females support each other in contrast to a world that diminishes them, finding in themselves the strenght to become their own masters.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

A tale for the time being (Ruth Oseki)

What can I say about  this wonderful story??!!
Great characters in a superb plot, full of beautiful vivid settings and deep insight.
In a remote island in the Pacific northwest, Ruth is fighting with her writer's block as her husband, a super-understanding naturalist is having his own struggle with the climate change.
One day, a hello kitty lunchbox washes upon the shore with the diary of a Japanese girl named Nao. She find herself absorbed by being bullied at school ( cruelest parts ever) and by her family coming apart: her mother disappears behind her new job and her unemployed father wanders through the city at night.
However, the magic moments happen when Nao's 104-year-old grandmother comes into scene: she is a Buddhist priest living in a mountainside place, full of trees and the sound of the ocean. Nao decides to retell her grandmother's history before ending her own life.
As you can see, this narrative containes a lot of dramatic elements. However, the author's tone displays humour to soften the blows that are waiting for the reader.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy an interesting plot with well-crafted characters struggling with the issues our nowadays society entails.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

The Yellow Birds

Being an ex-marine who served twice in Iraq, the young Kevin Powers truly faced the obstacles his protagonists encounter in this dramatic story.

The dust can be felt in the air, as you gritted your teeth full of embitterment and desolation.

John Bartle is the young US private who narrates the story. Most of the afternoons after returning from Iraq, he sits on the roof of his house and with the telescopic view of his gun seems to continue his patrolling in his homeland.

Later, we learn about the sensitive Murph, fragile and totally-unsuitable for the madness that surrounds war. Talking about madness, we meet Sargeant Sterling, and for some moments we forget he is only 26 years-old.

We strugle to survive with our narrator, trying to keep our minds away for the uncontrolled violence. When Bartle takes a decision that will torment him for the rest of his life, we question ourselves if his motives were not good enough for his ultimate redention.

"We were not destined to survive. The fact is we were not destined at all. The war would take whatever it could get. It was patient."

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

The brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao

Junot Diaz is one of the most innovative voices of the Latino life in the United States. With this novel he won the Pulitzer award but his two short stories collections 'Drown' and 'This is how you lose her' are also unique examples of his writing.

This book tells the story of Oscar, an overweight nerd who always falls desperately in love with out-of-his-league women and dreams of becoming the next Tolkien. On the other hand, her punk sister Lola is trying to run away and their mother Beli fights with tragic memories from her past life in Rep. Dominicana.

A magic prose will lead you through the different generations of this family, struggling to find their place in a hostile world, dragging their own selves in a new land, aliens in their homeland, at lost in the world.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

Caramelo

A significant feature in Sandra Cisneros's novels is the colourful language, the unforgettable characters and the unique settings. Her stories are narratives about strong women, the ones who struggle their whole lives to make the people they love happy.

In this book we find the protagoniast 'Lala' Reyes and her family crossing the border between their homes in USA to Mexico, where Little grandfather and Awful grandmother wait for them.

During those summers, we see the relationship between the children and the adults, the tales the latter told the little ones when they ask questions about their family history. When Lala tries to understand the story of Awful grandmother, she enters into the land of unbelievable stories, unreliable fantasies, sophisticated lies and intriguing lives.

A multigenerational narrative that makes the reader question their own past and how the identity of their family and, at the same time, their own shelves was created.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

Hombres

Laurent Mauvignier es una de las voces jovenes mas reconocidas en la actualidad en Francia. Sus tematicas abordan temas de la realidad de las personas y como la historia las envuelve, sus acciones, simples repercusiones de las acciones de otros.

En esta oportunidad el relato tiene como protagonistas a dos excombatientes de la guerra de Argelia, antigua colonia francesa en Africa.

Uno de ellos, Rabut, aparenta llevar una vida normal, siendo respetado en el pequeño poblado donde vive. El otro, Bernard, es un borracho perdido, ignorado por todos. La narracion cuenta un dia en la vida de estas dos personas, cuando un evento inesperado abre heridas de un pasado vergonzoso que muchos franceses quieren olvidar.

Asi, el escritor relata un mismo suceso desde diferentes puntos de vista y, sin embargo, uno como lector sigue buscando las respuestas escondidas en los silencios de los protagonistas, en sus miradas vacias, en sus gestos inmortales.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

Mama

Mi pais Argentina es un pais de inmigrantes:la mayoria descendemos de judios, turcos, polacos, armenios y, en especial, de italianos y españoles. El territorio de mi pais es tan grande que durante muchos años se invito a todo aquel que buscara un suelo donde vivir, con honestidad y trabajo.

Asi nos encontramos con Carmen, la mama del autor, quien asombrado porque la psiquiatra de su  mama terminaba todas las sesiones llorando por lo que esta le contaba, decidio entrevistarla y conocer que era aquello que tanto conmovia.

Carmen es una de las tantas jovenes españolas que surcaron el oceano escapando del hambre y la guerra y que, sin embargo, no encontro en Argentina el paraiso prometido.

Hay escenas desgarradoras, la soledad con la que vive esta joven de tan solo quince años en un lugar extraño, donde, sin querer, trabajara, conocera el amor, tendra sus hijos y por sobre todas las cosas extrañara con toda su alma a aquellos que quedaron del otro lado.

Esta historia les llenara el corazon y los ojos se les enturbiara con lagrimas de complicidad y amor por esta argeñola, una mas de las tantas que pueblan mi pais.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

La forma del agua

Si hay alguien que escribe buenas historias de detectives, ese es el italiano Andrea Camilleri.

"La forma del agua"es la primera de una serie de historias que presentan al comisario Salvo Montalbano. En la bella Sicilia (uno lee las descripciones creadas por el escritor y siente la calida brisa del mar, el sol tostando la piel, los olivos recortando el paisaje), siguiendo su instinto natural, subiendose a su arbol favorito para meditar y resolver un caso, Montalbano es un personaje en si, un detective que se vuelve central en la trama a desenredar. Siempre degustando algun plato cocinado por su fiel Adelina, el comisario es tenaz, sabiendo en que aguas se adentra en la tierra de la cossa nostra.

En este caso, un conocido politico y empresario aparece muerto desnudo en su auto en un sector alejado de la ciudad. Todas las pistas indican un paro cardiaco en medio de un encuentro sexual. Sin embargo, Montalbano no dejara huella sin investigar, ni rastro sin seguir.

Lo bueno de estos relatos es que Camilleri se mantiene realista: muchas veces su detective mira hacia otro lado ante algun criminal/fuente de poca monta. El comisario no puede resolver TODOS los problemas del mundo. Muchas veces tiene las manos atadas y debe usar su inteligencia para salirse de un callejon que parece sin salida.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

Las Puertas del Paraiso

Esta novela de la joven escritora china Yiyun Li habla de la revolución cultural y cómo esta afecta la vida de los habitantes del país, sin importar su edad u origen. Así el lector se adentrará en una sociedad en la cuál la vida esta reglamentada por el gobierno.

La crueldad, presente en diferentes, instancias del relato, se produce a raíz del miedo con que conviven los personajes, según lo expresado por la autora, quién vive en USA.

La narración cuenta la historia de una detenida política que será ejecutada públicamente y los eventos que rodean la misma. Así sus padres vivirán la ejecución  con dolor e incertidumbre, temerosos de lo que opinan los vecinos, aislados de la sociedad que les recrimina el haber criado a esa hija, quién reniega del gobierno y su política cultural, un joven espera la ejecución para ver a su primera mujer desnuda; una mujer que sin saberlo,  porque no sabe leer, pega los carteles en los que el gobierno publicita la ejecución; el filósofo que, ante la noticia de la próxima muerte, medita sobre el futuro de un país que mata a sus jóvenes.

Con una narración fluida y un final inesperado, esta historia nos acerca a las ideas y emociones de las personas que se encuentran en las orillas de la sociedad; de los que son mantenidos ignorantes de lo que sucede a su alrededor; de aquellos que son eliminados porque molestan, acallando sus voces.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

La elegancia del Erizo

La segunda novela de la escritora francesa Muriel Barbery llegó al corazón de miles de lectores, convirtiéndose en un bestseller editado en varios idiomas, y que fue llevado al cine.

Si hay algo que este libro nos enseña, es a no dejarse llevar por las apariencias. Todos los personajes esconden sus verdaderas personalidades debajo de imágenes construidas para enfrentar la realidad y así, mantenerse a flote en la soledad de una ciudad inmensa.

Por un lado tenemos a Reneé, la portera de un edificio en Paris, totalmente bucólica y aburrida, de esas que parecen estar barriendo siempre en el mismo lugar. Por otro lado está Paloma, una chica de 12 años muy inteligente pero que se siente tan desahuciada que planea suicidarse el día que cumpla 13 años.

Un día, Paloma esta saliendo para la escuela y cree ver algo distinto en el carrito de las compras de la portera. Así comienza esta historia, y la investigación de Paloma la llevará a cambiar de opinión sobre la vida que lleva y sobre las oportunidades que ésta le da.

En muchas críticas literarias que leí dicen que Reneé es el personaje principal y, sin embargo, a mi me parece que el protagonista de esta novela es la relación que crece entre la portera y la niña, dos seres ignorados por los demás, silenciosos al comienzo pero que se vuelven cautivadores con el pasar de las hojas.

Esta novela es para aquellos que aman los libros, que buscan en ellos sabiduría, compasión, un espejo que los muestre más alegres, orgullosos de quienes son, sin importar lo que la sociedad diga que es la moda y lo trendy del momento.  

La belleza exterior no es más que el encanto de un instante.

La apariencia del cuerpo no siempre es el reflejo del alma.

(George Sand)                              

                                                                                                      Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

The Descendants

Matthew King, the protagonist of this novel, lives in Hawaii and owns, with his relatives, most of the land of the island. Why? Because they're the descendants of a white merchant and an indeginous princess.

However, the story written by  female author Kaui Hart Hemmings (I've looked it up) is about the accident that leaves Matthew's wife in an irreversible comma state, how their two daughters (one a teenager, the other a 10-year-old) react to the fact that their mother will die, how Matthew tries to handle the girls after being an absent father his whole life, how their days change forever. Besides, you have to remember Matthew's wife's lover, something that Matthew discovers when his eldest daughter tells him about.

However sad and dramatic this topic is, the story is narrated in such a fun way that you find yourself laughing out loud. Matthew's eldest daughter is an ex-alcoholic and ex-model who tries to comfort his father while going out with a creepy boy who has the most unexpected responses (causing him to end up with a balck eye from Matthew's father-in-law). The 10 year-old is so much influenced by media and the idea of acting like a teenager that the way she talks and acts surprise you every minute. In the meantime, Matthew is trying to right his life, finding answers for his too many questions. 

We, readers, imagine Hawaii as an ideal place, full of palm trees and surfers. However, when the other side is told, you start to hate sunny day when you're blue, you want a cloud to appear in the horizon, you want your tears secluded away from turists and sand.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

El Libro de la Sal

Bihn es un muchacho vietnamita, cocinero en Francia (casi adoptado) por Gertrude Stein y su secretaria/amante Alice B. Toklas. Estos personajes realmente existieron, tanto las mujeres como el joven cocinero, lo que llevó a la escritora Monique Truong a relatar sus vidas desde el punto de vista del joven.

La cocina es el reino de Bihn, quien ha aprendido sobre la comida francesa en su Vietnam de origen de la mano de su hermano mayor, cocinero del cónsul.

Así, buscando una nueva vida después de tener que escapar debido a una situación dramática, encontrará en la casa de las dos mujeres un refugio en el primer mundo. La cocina es un lugar único en esa casa debido a las reuniones que 'La Generación Perdida' norteamericana organiza para conversar de libros, arte, pasión, deseo.

Es el deseo lo que primordialmente mueve a Bihn y así, dudará si seguir a las dos damas en su regreso a América, o quedarse en París, a la proximidad de una guerra, a una inestabilidad que lo sumerge en el más profundo de sus temores.

La sal, presente en todas las comidas, en el sudor, en la lágrimas, desarrolla esta novela sugestiva, dónde el paladar sólo busca placer, descripciones que llegan al lector en colores, aromas, gustos, palabras que invitan, intrigan, atrapan, envuelven.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

Great Writers: Toni Morrison

 Toni Morrison is one of my favourite writers. She's the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, her work  depicting the African-American world in the USA in different times, their beliefs and traditions, portraying them as real people, for the first time away from the stereotypes white authors have created.

I'm only going to talk about the book I've read. Morrison's language is poetic, full phrases can be quoted as they display the truth about the human race, beyond race and religion. What is important to say is that Morrison's stories take place in black neighbourhoods, there are few or none white characters in her narratives.





'The Bluest Eye' was the first book I read. It has a complex beggining, the fragmentation of a nursery rhyme, showing that the childhood of the characters is not going to be what the reader's expected to. 

Claudia, a child, tells the story of her neighbourhood during her childhood after the Depression, especially the story of her friend Pecola, who feels inferior because of her dark complexion. Pecola's only dream is to have blue eyes, which, according to her own belief, would help her to improve her life considerably. However, her whole life changes during a terrible afternoon, a story of abuse and pain, all depicted from the perspective of a young girl.






'Beloved' is my favourite book. Its dedication says 'Sixty Million and more', making reference to the black slaves and their descendants who died in the Slave Trade.

The story takes place after the American Civil War and it tells the story of Sethe, a slave who escapes a plantation with two of her children. After twenty-eight days of freedom, following the Fugitive Slave Act, a posser appears to retrieve her to her owner, but she decides to kill her child before letting her live as a slave. Years later, a woman appears claiming to be Beloved, the murdered daughter, full of passion and poison.






In 'Mercy', Morrison analyses the beggining of slavery, claiming that it is in the foundation of the American society.

It tells the story of Florens, a black slave, and her relationship with her owner Rebekka Vaark, inmigrat from England, both of them becoming attached to each other as they have to get used to to their new surroundings. When Rebekka became ill, is Florens who has to search for the remedy in the form of a freed-black man.





'Sula' is one of the first stories in American literature that retells the friedship between two women.

 Bottom is a black neighbourhood. The girls Nel and Sula become friends, disregarding their completely different families. Nel's families is stable and believes in social conventions; the only peculiar character is Nel's grandmother Rochelle, a former prostitute. Sula's family is very different: her grandmother Eva and her mother Hannah are believed  by the town to be eccentric, having male boarders in their house, something considered indecent at that time.
However, an accident changes Sula and Nel's lives forever, as they become apart. 







Being very concise in contrast to her other works, 'Home' displays Morrison's powerful language, its poetic element, its unforgettable ideas.
It narrates the story of Frank Money. He is 24 and fought in the Korean War in an army made up of black and white soldiers, who fraternised without problems.
However, when he becomes a veteran, and as he travels through the country to his homeland, he realises his position in society remains the same, a second degree citizent, a black man in a white wold.






Milkman, the male protagonist of 'Song of Solomon', is nicknamed with that ridiculuos name as consequence of being breastfed until he was old enough to be wearing pants. He is considered a momma's boy, in contrast to his best friend Guitar, who is fatherless and motherless.


 The story is told in sections that skip through time, making the reader unpuzzle the narrative as it develops. 

Milkman's mother, Ruth, is the daughter of the only black doctor in town. Her husband becomes obsessed with the idea that Ruth loves his father more than she loves him, being physically aggressive towards her. Besides, Milkman's father, Macon Dean Jr., has a sister called Pilate who takes the role of Earth Mother in the story. Her granddaughter Hagar is desperately in love with Milkman, but he rejects her and, as a consequence, she tries to kill him in several opportunities. She is not the only characters who tries to kill Milkman, as an adult Guitar believes he has cheated him with a treasure they found, money to be used to kill white people.



As you can see, Morrison's work is varied and  intriguing, complex and inviting. You can choose the one that attracts you the most and meet an author that would surely surprise you and enlarge your understanding of the world.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

Short Stories Collections

Today I've chosen two writers who are American but whose parents are Mexican and Indian.

The first I'll mention is Sandra Cisneros. She was born in the USA, daughter of a Mexican man and and Mexican-American woman. Her stories are told in the shape of vignettes, showing the lives of Latin American inmigrants who live in the USA but have families in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Rep. Dominicana, keeping in touch with their roots.

Her stories are focused on women and the limits American culture and language impose on them as well as the Latino culture's preconceptions about their rights and obligations.

The language of the stories is poetic, struggling to shade light even in the darkest corners. One of my favourite stories is about a girl who's eleven but explaining that depending on the circumstances, her emotional age changes: She is eleven when she takes care of her younger siblings but she is two when she getS stubborn and wants the last lollipop.

A very different view is shown in Jhumpa Lahiri's stories. She was also born in the USA, both her parents migrating from India. Her narrative displays the lives of the Indian inmigrants in America, the lives of the women enclosed in their flats, alone, the opinions of others regarding their religion and traditions, their beliefs, their emotions.

The language is simpler; however, there is more than what is shown in the surface. She points out the fact that many Americans consider them as 'exotic', denying them the possibility to blend in their surrounding society. As the tourits following the book guide and taking pictures of every monkey they encounter in their way ( in the story 'Interpreter of Maladies'), Americans separate themselves from these inmigrants, considering them foreigners even tough they were born in American soil, just because of the saris they wear and the colour of skin they have.

One of my favourites stories is 'A Temporary Matter', in which Lahiri shows how the gap between a young couple enlarges as they sit in the dark (only iluminated by candles), telling each other secrets, opening their heart for the first time.

Both collections are enriching, the reader learning with each paragraph, digging in the souls of these characters who are trying to find their place as they have their lives divided between two places, not sure which of them they could call HOME.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

instagram:ananbooks

Children's Book:The Underneath

This novel is one of the most intriguing works I've ever read for children. It's so pure, unique that I truly understand why  it's a Newbery Honor book.

The main characters are animals: a hound, a cat with her two little kittens, a huge alligator, an imprisoned snake and her daughter, a hawk, and a human called Gar face.
They are so complex, their voces so well-developed that you can feel each animal's spirit rising from the pages. 

The underneath is the only place safe for the little kittens. Gar face, even as a child, is the personification of evil, dreaming about hunting wild animals, killing them, skinning them, especially, the King Alligator.

When he discovers the kittens, their mother understands that only being together could they survive. In her last moments, she asked her little son to keep a promise too big for him.

We also meet Grandmother and her story of pain, jeaulosy and attonement. Her daughter Night Song, her husband Hawk Man and their little daugther belong to the mythological aspect of the narrative, bringing magic to the pages.

The illustrations are incredible and the story is so well-built that in the end, all comes together magestically. Take a cup of coffee, a blanket and curl yourself on a comfortable chair. You'd become part of another world, a unique place where hummingbirds are waiting for all of us.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

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YA (Young Adult) Novel: Eleanor & Park

"Eleanor was right: She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something."

This is the story of two underdogs. Eleanor  has red hair, curls, curves, is tall, bony. Park is half-Korean, according to his dad a bit girlie, wears make-up, listens to music too loud for his own good. They find each other on the bus, going to school and ignoring the bullies' shoutings.

Their love is complicated not only because of the bullies' attacks but also because of the unstability of her family life: a step-dad cruel and violent, a mum trying to avoid quarrels, her little siblings making choices they aren't prepared for.

When being invisible is not enough, sometimes you must face the fact that beauty is hidden even in the darkest places.

Music, books and especially comics build a bridge between two worlds in 1986, the time when it took hours to record a lists of songs you've lovingly put on a tape for the one you love (idea my teenager students have problem understanding). I remember using a pen to rewind the tape; even covering the little squares on the edges with sellotape to record new songs.

This  story is not only for girls; boys would also enjoy the way two people find love against all odds.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

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