by Héctor Tobar
First published 2011
Araceli works as the live-in maid for the Torres-Thompson family in their Spanish-style house overlooking the Pacific. The recession has hit hard, and she's now the only household employee left. The financial stress triggers explosive fights between her employers that even the children can hear. One morning after a particularly bad argument, Araceli wakes to find the parents gone and only the two Torres-Thompson boys remaining. She's never had to care for these children before, but with their parents unreachable, she makes a decision. She knows about Señor Torres from an old family photo showing central LA in the background. Taking the boys with her, she heads to the bus stop to search for their grandfather across the vast city. What she thinks will be a simple adventure becomes something far more complex as they navigate the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, crossing boundaries of class, language, and culture in their quest to reunite the family.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Los Angeles, Pacific Ocean
Period: 21st-century
432 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux