...separated by countries and united by blood and tragedy completely captivated me. I just knew when I read the blurb that this was going to be a great read, the idea of two sisters that did not know of the other until their father passes away on a flight from one to the other was such a unique concept.
Camino and Yahaira have such unique voices that I barely ever had to check who was speaking, which was a real treat (I can have fully realised characters sometimes, as a treat). I was so fascinated with Camino and her culture and language, as I've never heard stories from the Dominican Republic. She often speaks Spanish, which I do not, but I kept up easily and it made her voice authentic.
I had a couple of small issues with the book. Much like Turtle Under Ice it did feel at times that the author thought we needed to reminded often that their father had died, so the story didn't really pick up until Camino Yahaira met. I also wasn't completely sold on it being told in verse, as it often felt like it was just a full sentence, chopped up to look like verse.
The best parts were the stories within the story, Camino's friend's baby, Yahaira's girlfried who grows plants on the fire escape, two sisters realising all the parts of their father that belonged to the other, the rich / poor divide between the two. It really is an incredible story.
Camino and Yahaira have such unique voices that I barely ever had to check who was speaking, which was a real treat (I can have fully realised characters sometimes, as a treat). I was so fascinated with Camino and her culture and language, as I've never heard stories from the Dominican Republic. She often speaks Spanish, which I do not, but I kept up easily and it made her voice authentic.
I had a couple of small issues with the book. Much like Turtle Under Ice it did feel at times that the author thought we needed to reminded often that their father had died, so the story didn't really pick up until Camino Yahaira met. I also wasn't completely sold on it being told in verse, as it often felt like it was just a full sentence, chopped up to look like verse.
The best parts were the stories within the story, Camino's friend's baby, Yahaira's girlfried who grows plants on the fire escape, two sisters realising all the parts of their father that belonged to the other, the rich / poor divide between the two. It really is an incredible story.