What a sad, hopeful book. No, that is not an oxymoron. This really is an excruciatingly sad book full of hope and faith. A young girl, left alone to care for her even younger brother, must lead them from crushing poverty in Honduras to their illegal immigrant mother in America. Hope and belief carry them until her brother is hooked on glue and she is raped.
A young American couple with everything -- a successful restaurant, enough money, friends, family, an enduring love for each other, but no child to make them complete. Hope and belief seem lost when the child they adopted is taken from them after one blissful day because the birth mother changes her mind.
Told in alternating chapters with Carla, the Honduran child, and Alice, the American wife, voicing their stories. The situations are real, the characters are fully fleshed out, the tension increases as the stories play out. How can this end happily? Does it end happily? Who are the winners and losers?
A beautifully written tale of heart wrenching loss, dashed dreams, hope, love and a place to belong.
5 of 5 stars

This book reminds us of the human side of immigration while introducing the reader to interesting, complex characters and situations. It is a quick read and our book club had a very insightful discussion over it.

Book was similar to American Dirt, but lacked the same depth of story and characters. The sub-story about BBQ in Austin was interesting.