Author: Ingrid Rojas Contreras
Length: 320 pages
Fruit of the Drunken Tree
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Description
“Seven-year-old Chula lives a carefree life in her gated community in Bogot , but the threat of kidnappings, car bombs, and assassinations hover just outside her walls, where the godlike drug lord Pablo Escobar reigns, capturing the attention of the nation. When her mother hires Petrona, a live-in-maid from the city’s guerrilla-occupied slum, Chula makes it her mission to understand Petrona’s mysterious ways. Petrona is a young woman crumbling under the burden of providing for her family as the rip tide of first love pulls her in the opposite direction. As both girls’ families scramble to maintain stability amidst the rapidly escalating conflict, Petrona and Chula find themselves entangled in a web of secrecy. Inspired by the author’s own life, Fruit of the Drunken Tree is a powerful testament to the impossible choices women are often forced to make in the face of violence and the unexpected connections that can blossom out of desperation.”
Janet Dore –
…when I elevated my feet at night and my head found its pillow I wondered: of what country was I during those hours when my feet were in the air?
If you’re a fan of Isabel Allende, you will LOVE Fruit of the Drunken Tree, the first novel by Ingrid Rojas Contreras. Ingrid is an amazing storyteller with an incredible gift. It’s getting harder and harder to make my all-time favorites list and this one clinched a spot.
This fictionalized version of the author’s own life gives us a peek at Colombia in the turbulent and violence-ridden 1990’s, when Pablo Escobar was fighting to hold onto his narco throne and numerous paramilitary groups were fighting for their own versions of justice.
As a middle class family, the Santiagos — which included the young narrator (Chula), her older sister Cassandra, and her two parents — were a target of guerrillas who believed that kidnapping and collecting ransoms were legitimate ways to right Colombia’s economic wrongs. And, like many of Colombia’s citizens, they were caught in the crossfire of the narco war.
Like Isabel, Ingrid’s writing is magical, lyrical and goes straight to your heart. The characters are real, deep, flawed, and likeable despite their occasional questionable actions.
If you’re traveling to Colombia, this book is a must read. You will close the back cover with a greater understanding of what it is to be poor in this country, the love and hate for Pablo Escobar, and its troubled history and rich culture, and feel a connection to the people that live in the ramshackle homes on the hills.