2015 Book Review #35: The Same Sky

 

I discovered a new author this past week.

And she is excellent!!

STORY SUMMARY

The book opens with the voice of 12 year old Carla, a little girl born and raised in Honduras.  Carla's mother left for America when Carla was just 5 years old.  She left Carla and her  twin toddler brothers, Carlos and Junior, in the care of an elderly grandmother.  Grandmother died when Carla was about 7 years old. Before she died, Carlos was whisked away in a car.....Carla and Junior had no idea where he went.  After Grandmother died, Carla was left to care for her, self and Junior.  She had to scrounge with her friend Humberto in the town dump for food.  She was all alone and could no longer attend school.  Junior began sniffing glue and running wild.  What was she to do??

In the second chapter, we hear from Alice.  Alice lives with her husband Jake, in Austin, Texas.  They have been trying for years to have a baby, with no success.  They were just about to adopt a baby named Mitchell when the birth mother changed her mind.  They are both devastated and dealing with their grief.  They own and operate  an outstanding Texas BBQ restaurant that makes them a little bit "famous".  Alice is originally from Colorado where her dad and sister Jane live.  Jane is married to Dennis and has 3 little boys.  Alice and Jane's mother died of cancer when they were younger.

Every other chapter is Carla's story.  She ends up escaping with Junior to make her way to America and her mother.  Will she make it??  What happens to her on "the beast" (the train from Honduras to Mexico??) What happens when she finds her mother....and then discovers she is pregnant at age 13??  What happens to her baby??

The chapters about Alice focus on their grief for Mitchell being taken back by his birth mother, and about Alice mentoring a teen named Evian who is neglected by her mother and a bit on the "wild side".  She and Jake make their way through their grief and their marital struggles to discovering that God does have a purpose and plan for them.  


MY THOUGHTS

I loved this book because I had read that the author researched immigrant children by going to shelters throughout Texas and California to learn about these childrens' lives.

I love how real both main characters were!  I felt like I could adopt Carla and her little brother.  I wanted to befriend Alice.

I found my self cheering when Carla made it safely across the river between Mexico and Texas.  I found myself crying when she was raped on the train and felt so ashamed and wanted to gather her in my arms and whisper to her that it was not her fault.

Oh, I can't say enough good about this story.  It is very moving.  And the way that Carla's and Alice's lives connect at the end is just spell-binding.

The only negative thing I can find to say about the book is how sometimes the Lord's name was spoken as a swear word.  That bothers me.  I find it very unnecessary.

I am going to look for this author's other novels.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.