I could not put this book down. Jennifer Clement has a knack for writing real, interesting characters that kept me wondering throughout the day what would happen next. Her descriptions of Mexican climate is incredibly accurate; no wonder, she lived in Mexico most of her young life. It takes a moment to get adjusted to her way of describing things, but once you're there, the story is enjoyable.
"Prayers for the Stolen" is a story about a young girl's life in a very poor mountain community of all women and their daughters. All of the men had left for work in the United States, leaving the women behind. The story follows Ladydi Garcia Martinez, describing the life she and her friends are exposed to. Its very sad, the girls have to pretend they are ugly or are boys so that drug lords do not steal them as sex slaves. The first half of the book describes this hard life centering around her and her friends. The second half of the book follows Ladydi as she finishes school and finds work in the nearby town. The story certainly surprised me, though I wish it was much longer. I feel like so much more could have been filled in...However the author leaves the book off at an acceptable cutoff point.
I am not someone who reads ethnically-centered literature, however I really enjoyed this story, and it made me think about something that I don't normally. It is a quick, enjoyable read and I recommend it.
Source: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment