Monday, June 17, 2019

Secrets of the Casa Rosada

Temblador, Alex. Secrets of the Casa Rosada. 2018. 238p. ISBN  978-1-55885-870-1. Available at FIC TEM on the library shelves.

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Martha and her mother only have each other. Martha refers to her mother's smiles as the Big Fake, when her mother is trying to convince others to do something for her. Martha is not abused or mistreated, she's simply ... ignored. They move constantly, never staying in one spot for very long, so Martha has never had the need to make friends. When Martha's mother tells her they're heading to Laredo, Texas to visit Martha's grandmother, Martha is puzzled. She's never met any of her extended family. Her mother, however, tells her very little about what to expect.

Once there, Martha is abandoned at her grandmother's pink house. Her Abuela doesn't speak English, and it is clear she and Martha's mother never got along. Known and respected in the community as a healer, or a curandera, Abuela is a powerful woman who is not to be trifled with. Enrolled in the local high school, Martha quickly realizes that she will need to learn Spanish to survive. Martha  is confronted by Marcella, a senior who wanted very much to learn the healing arts with Abuela but was rejected. Now, on top of being in what feels like a foreign land, Martha must be careful with such an enemy.

As time passes, Martha discovers that the pink house is full of secrets, secrets that concern her and her mother. When she begins digging, however, she uncovers information that could change her life forever, but which could alienate Abuela, the last direct link to her mother. Is discovering who she really is worth the risk to Martha?

Taking place in Laredo in the 1990s, Martha's story is one of family secrets that can redefine relationships and even one's understanding of oneself. Martha's emotions are raw but realistic, and her feelings of abandonment are in conflict with her happiness at a newfound family. Readers looking for family drama will enjoy this book.

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