Undocumented Mauro and Elena are raising their young family in the US, until Mauro’s deportation back to Colombia forever fractures their family.

This is a relatively short book, but it packs a punch. Fundamentally, this is a story of the relationship between identity and home and how it is shaped by (illegal) immigration. These concepts are explored particularly well through Mauro and Elena’s children who grow up with their parents’ home not matching their own complicated senses of home and identity, resulting in impossible choices for their parents - should they completely uproot their children to keep the family together or split the family and keep the kids in a country they know but that doesn’t want them? As somebody who grew up outside of my “home” countries, I always find questions around identity and belonging interesting. I particularly enjoyed the Andean legends woven throughout the story - they elevated the story for me and made the book. An exploration of identity, home and the impossible choices thrown up in the context of illegal immigration.