Caramelo
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - Every year, Ceyala "Lala" Reyes' family--aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and Lala's six older brothers--packs up three cars and, in a wild ride, drive from Chicago to the Little Grandfather and Awful Grandmother's house in Mexico City for the summer. From the celebrated bestselling author of The House on Mango Street and winner of the 2019 PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature. One of The Atlantic's Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years Struggling to find a voice above the boom of her brothers and to understand her place on this side of the border and that, Lala is a shrewd observer of family life. But when she starts telling the Awful Grandmother's life story, seeking clues to how she got to be so awful, grandmother accuses Lala of exaggerating. Soon, a multigenerational family narrative turns into a whirlwind exploration of storytelling, lies, and life. Like the cherished rebozo, or shawl, that has been passed down through generations of Reyes women, Caramelo is alive with the vibrations of history, family, and love. From the winner of the 2019 PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature.
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Community Reviews
I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. There are two parts within the book and part 1, to put it simply, just did not flow from chapter to chapter. I really had to force my way through it. Part 2 had a more cohesive flow to it. Yes, growing up in a Hispanic family, the stories felt warm and familiar. But again, the author did great work to offer translations to some words that she intended to leave in Spanish throughout the book, but then did not do the same with the nicknames of the aunts and uncles. It was cringeworthy for me every time she said the names Uncle Fat Face, Auntie Light Skin or Uncle Baby. Why not leave those nicknames on Spanish the way she left so many other words of importance in Spanish (offering an initial translation)? I still gave it a 4 since part 2 of the book read better, but again, you will have to really push your way through part 1 to get to the better portion.
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