The first person narrative effectively depicts the turmoil and conflicting emotions of an adolescent girl trying to make sense of the world in which even her parents let her down.

Astrid's memories of her mother are full of visual, auditory and olfactory sensations, mostly because of her mother's exaggerated need to be surrounded by such strong impressions. The first chapter begins with the sleepless nights during the Santa Ana winds immediately after her mother has poisoned her lover. Astrid awakens to find her mother on the rooftop where, "She held up her large hand and spread the fingers, let the desert dryness lick through. My mother was not herself in the time of the Santa Anas. I was twelve years old and I was afraid for her." As she moves closer to her mother, she recalls the scent of violets.

This intimate moment is broken by the presence...