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A review by book_concierge
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
4.0
The Rivera family enjoyed a happy life in Mexico, but after their 15-year-old daughter, Mirabel, was injured in an accident, they came to America in hopes of finding help for her recovery. Arriving in Delaware they meet the other residents of their apartment building – all from Spanish speaking countries, but each with a unique story. The Toro family is from Panama, and their son, Mayor, forms a special friendship with Mirabel. Other apartment dwellers are from Puerto Rico, Guatemala or Nicaragua. They help one another navigate this new land, but their dreams are not so easy to achieve.
Henriquez uses a different narrator for each chapter, giving us insight into the various characters, who cling to their differences while sharing a similar immigrant experience. The novel focuses, however, on the two teenagers – Mirabel and Mayor – and their families. With these two families Henriquez shows us various love stories – first love, married love, parental love. We also see the kind of fierce devotion to a dream that can blind one to reality, and the pain of past experience that can make one cower in fright.
I was touched by Alma, Mirabel’s mother. She blamed herself for Mirabel’s accident and felt lost and frustrated by her inability to control everything in this new, foreign environment. I was also infuriated by her. Her stubborn refusal to confide in anyone only further isolated her and cut her off from some of the assistance that might have improved things for them.
In contrast, Mayor and Mirabel’s story is a lovely, innocent look and first love. And while I cringed at some of the things they did (reckless teenagers), I also loved how these two misfits, found acceptance and joy in just being together, and helped one another feel valued and less alone.
A couple of the building residents were less than likeable – the busybody gossip, for example. But on the whole I liked the way Henriquez revealed their varied backgrounds and common goals for a better life. I found myself so caught up in their dreams that I felt almost as stunned as the characters when tragedy knocks them to the pavement. But, while there cannot be a neat happy ending, Henriquez does give us hope. I’ll be thinking about Mirabel, Mayor, Alma, Arturo, Rafael, Celia and all the other “unknown Americans” for a long time.
Henriquez uses a different narrator for each chapter, giving us insight into the various characters, who cling to their differences while sharing a similar immigrant experience. The novel focuses, however, on the two teenagers – Mirabel and Mayor – and their families. With these two families Henriquez shows us various love stories – first love, married love, parental love. We also see the kind of fierce devotion to a dream that can blind one to reality, and the pain of past experience that can make one cower in fright.
I was touched by Alma, Mirabel’s mother. She blamed herself for Mirabel’s accident and felt lost and frustrated by her inability to control everything in this new, foreign environment. I was also infuriated by her. Her stubborn refusal to confide in anyone only further isolated her and cut her off from some of the assistance that might have improved things for them.
In contrast, Mayor and Mirabel’s story is a lovely, innocent look and first love. And while I cringed at some of the things they did (reckless teenagers), I also loved how these two misfits, found acceptance and joy in just being together, and helped one another feel valued and less alone.
A couple of the building residents were less than likeable – the busybody gossip, for example. But on the whole I liked the way Henriquez revealed their varied backgrounds and common goals for a better life. I found myself so caught up in their dreams that I felt almost as stunned as the characters when tragedy knocks them to the pavement. But, while there cannot be a neat happy ending, Henriquez does give us hope. I’ll be thinking about Mirabel, Mayor, Alma, Arturo, Rafael, Celia and all the other “unknown Americans” for a long time.