Summary

The novel opens with an excerpt from Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s “The Song of Despair.” The excerpt is written in both Spanish and English and speaks of hardship and grief, as well as the relief from both.

In Chapter One, Cummins’ female protagonist, Lydia Quixano Perez, and her son Luca are pinned in Abuela’s bathroom as shots ring out in the courtyard of Lydia’s mother’s home. The family is celebrating Yenifer’s quinceanera when sixteen family members, including Lydia’s husband, mother, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew, are gunned down by the Mexican cartel. Lydia hears one of the gunmen ask “What about the kid?” and another replies that there is a boy, presumably referencing Lydia’s nephew (2). Lydia and Luca remain still for a time and then Lydia goes to the patio to confirm what she fears: her...