A review by spaghettireads
Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

CW: Rape, Domestic Abuse

This has been on my TBR for over a year now, but I was nudged to pick it up again for @internationalreads’ buddy read. I definitely didn’t finish the book in time for the discussion 😬 but I really wish I had, because there is a lot going on in this story. 

The novel is set in the late 80s/early 90s in Colombia, during the time while Pablo Escobar was active in the country. It is a coming of age story of two young girls, and how small decisions and actions can add up over time. The story is based on the author’s experiences growing up in Colombia. The story explores the differences in class and race between the two girls, as well as the experience of growing up surrounded by trauma.

I don’t think I’m alone in being sceptical about child narrators, however I thought that it was done very well in this book. I really enjoyed how by reading from the perspective of a child, you know that you aren’t getting a full understanding of what is going on in her world. You feel the sense of thinking that you understand what is going on, but still being confused about what is going on. Some of this becomes clear later in the story when you hear about events from an adults perspective. 

If this story sounds interesting to you, I would highly recommend picking it up. The writing really worked for me, and I am looking forward to what Ingrid Rojas Contreras writes next!
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