A review by ericageorge91
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

“This book missed the mark for me.” 

Arrest me. Take me to book jail because I was clearly on one during my first read 😅 

“I thought that this ‘inheritance’ was going to be a thorough discussion of generational trauma mixed with magical realism but it felt lacking.” 

The discussion was there! The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a story filled with magic told in dual timelines. One follows the Montoya matriarch, Orquídea, a woman that goes to great lengths to escape a past so painful that she never speaks of it. The present timeline opens with an invitation to her remaining family to return to their home in Four Rivers to witness her death. We closely follow her grandchildren, Marimar, Rey, and Tatinelly, and her great-grandchild, Rhiannon. After tragedy strikes, they embark on a journey to uncover their family’s secrets. This would prove to be incredibly challenging because, like the ceiba tree she turned into, Orquídea was stoic and silent throughout their lives. 

The generational trauma was there! How did I not process the parallels of how Isabella’s parents treatment of her affected how she mothered Orquídea in the same way that Orquídea’s upbringing with Isabella informed how she treated her kids and grandkids? Isabella was shamed for having a child out of wedlock, which led to her projecting those insecurities onto Orquídea throughout her childhood. This ultimately pushed Orquídea to run away from home. In the same vein, Orquídea heard nasty insults growing up from her former family. This contributed to the punishing and impenetrable silence she wielded on her descendants that consequently pushed them away. 

“We didn’t get to know any of Orquídea’s children in depth, so if this was supposed to speak on generational trauma, skipping whole branches of the family tree made that theme feel disjointed and incomplete.” 

This point is still true, but Orquídea had such a big family, that readers would have been bogged down by the weight of them all. We do get to see glimpses of her children’s relationship with her: Félix’s role as peacemaker, Caleb’s unwavering acceptance, and Enrique’s explosive anger and resentment to name a few. Others were so fed up with their matriarch’s ways, that they swore to never come back home. Do I still wish we got a POV for at least one of the aunts or uncles? Yes, but the story still feels complete without it. 

If you wanted to read a book that gave Encanto vibes only for a mature audience? Definitely check this book out! It wasn’t a tear jerker for me, but it still brought me joy 😌

———-

[Original Review: 3.25⭐️] This book missed the mark for me. I thought that this “inheritance” was going to be a thorough discussion of generational trauma mixed with magical realism, but it felt lacking. We were introduced to so many people in the Montoya family and didn’t get to know any of them beyond a surface level save for Orquídea, three of her grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. We didn’t get to know any of Orquídea’s children in depth, so if this was supposed to speak on generational trauma, skipping whole branches of the family tree made that theme feel disjointed and incomplete. I might try a reread in the future to see if I like it more with time.

TW: Homophobia (brief), child abuse, emotional neglect, toxic relationship, sexual content, body horror, death, murder, violence, infidelity
Rep: Latinx (Ecuadorian) characters, gay main character
Expand filter menu Content Warnings