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A review by fallingletters
What If a Fish by Anika Fajardo
3.0
Brief thoughts originally posted 16 October 2020 at Falling Letters.
Although it’s a quieter and more introspective story than [b: Efrén Divided|52507955|Efrén Divided|Ernesto Cisneros|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567693986l/52507955._SX50_SY75_.jpg|62729949], What if a Fish is also a story of identity and family (this time across three generations). As well, it’s partially set in a Latin American country (Colombia). Eddie’s father died when he was young. Eddie plans to win a fishing contest to show he’s like his father, but first he has to travel to Colombia to visit his half-brother and his sick grandmother. The microaggressions Eddie experiences (a teacher who docks marks because he spells Colombia correctly, with two o’s and no u?!) had me clenching the book in frustration. It gave this adult reader a glimpse of how painful that can be for kids. What if a Fish offers a gentle (if at times deeply saddening) exploration of what it means to be Colombian when you’re a Colombian-American boy who has spent his entire life in the States.
Although it’s a quieter and more introspective story than [b: Efrén Divided|52507955|Efrén Divided|Ernesto Cisneros|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567693986l/52507955._SX50_SY75_.jpg|62729949], What if a Fish is also a story of identity and family (this time across three generations). As well, it’s partially set in a Latin American country (Colombia). Eddie’s father died when he was young. Eddie plans to win a fishing contest to show he’s like his father, but first he has to travel to Colombia to visit his half-brother and his sick grandmother. The microaggressions Eddie experiences (a teacher who docks marks because he spells Colombia correctly, with two o’s and no u?!) had me clenching the book in frustration. It gave this adult reader a glimpse of how painful that can be for kids. What if a Fish offers a gentle (if at times deeply saddening) exploration of what it means to be Colombian when you’re a Colombian-American boy who has spent his entire life in the States.