4.5 stars

I am overwhelmed right now, thinking of all the ways I saw myself, my family and my growing up experience reflected in these words. I could cry thinking of the ways this story explored being trapped in a body subjected to male gaze, the gulf that must be crossed between immigrants and their children, about inherited religion, and about growing up.

This is a story that crept up on me. It took me a while to settle into the style, especially because the beginning snippets introduced more place and person than story. I wasn't sure what the story was here and it was a bit jarring to have the exposition given in verse. That passed fairly quickly and before I knew it, I was falling in love.

To state the obvious, this won't be for everyone. It is a story that is told with economy, with verses that seem less like what people would expect when they hear poetry. I found it to be disarming and fluid. I was impressed by how full a story was told with that economy. And there were a couple of lines that probably could've been lifted from my own journal at this age.

I love Xiomara, her softness and her hardness, her questions, her curiosity, the words that bubble up in her and the way she keeps her self silent.

Truly a moving experience for me. I was looking forward to this book since it was announced and I'm so happy it was everything I could've wanted.