Spanish Novels for Intermediate Learners
- Anne Lam Music
- Jan 3
- 3 min read
This book centres around Esperanza, the daughter of a wealthy Mexican family who owns their own land. The day before Esperanza's birthday, her father is murdered, and the family finds themselves having to flee the ranch they call their home. They decide to flee to the United States with their former servants, and once there, they all have to adjust to their new life in a farm camp. At first, Esperanza struggles to adjust, since she is used to living in much more comfortable conditions. Even though she is underage, she eventually takes on work in the farm in order to make money to support herself and her family. I loved this novel, because I found it very touching at the end, when Esperanza finally learns to be grateful for what she has, and understands that the materialistic things she once was so fond of don't really matter after all.
This novel follows Julia, whose sister, Olga, has just died in an accident. Olga was the "perfect Mexican daughter", while Julia has always felt like she didn't really belong in the family. Later, we learn that Olga wasn't really the "perfect daughter" after all, and was actually leading a secret double life. Julia dreams of moving to a different city to study English, and struggles with her own problems as well. Throughout the novel, we see her try to navigate or even flee from the difficult situations she finds herself in. Even though I am not Mexican, I still found certain parts of the story relatable, as I read about Julia's struggle to break free from both societal and familial pressures.
This book was an extremely interesting read. It tells the story of Santiago Nasar's murder by the Vicario twins. This is not a murder mystery book. We know for sure that the Vicario twins committed the crime. Instead, the story is about how an entire society has allowed this murder to happen. Basically, everyone in town has heard that the Vicario twins plan to murder Nasar, but for one reason or another, people have failed to warn Nasar. Some people don't believe they should get involved, while others think the twins are just kidding. It's an interesting story, because the entire village knew this murder was going to take place, but no one was able or willing to stop it. It really makes you think about the village's collective role in Nasar's murder. It reminds me of a real-life case, namely the murder of Kitty Genovese. In 1964, a woman named Kitty was being attacked in New York. She screamed for help, and although there were many onlookers who watched or heard the attack, no one called the police.
This novel is set in the not-so-distant-future U.S. of 2032. All citizens are chipped, meaning that it is much more difficult for undocumented, illegal immigrants to survive there. Surviving is all what Vali, the protagonist, wants. She wishes for a happy and stable life with her mother and younger brother, and it is exactly the type of life have constructed in Vermont. However, Vali and her mother have fake chips, and one day, her mother's chip stops working. Suddenly, the family has to flee to their Aunt Luna's house in California, which has been declared a sanctuary state, around which a wall has been built. When Vali's mother is arrested, Vali has to protect herself and her brother at all costs, and make sure they get to California. This novel, although fiction, does depict a very real issue, where families are often separated by deportation forces. I have no direct experience with this at all, but this novel did an excellent job of making me understand how terrifying this is for anyone put into a similar situation. I enjoyed reading this very much. I finished this book in a matter of just a few days.
I bought this book and Santuario while I was in Puerto Rico. I haven't started it at all yet, but based on the synopsis on the back, it's a book set in post-apocalyptic Puerto Rico. I'm excited to read it, and I will write an update once I've finished it!
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