Talia

Talia is the 15-year-old daughter of Elena and Mauro, their youngest child, and the first character introduced in the novel. Chapters from her perspective take place in the present-day timeline, during which she escapes from the reformatory where she was remanded after throwing hot oil in the face of a restaurant worker who killed a stray cat. After her escape, Talia seeks help from a series of men to make her way to Bogotá, where Mauro has a plane ticket that will take her to the United States. One of these men, Aguja, inspires her to think about her loyalty to Colombia, where she was raised by her grandmother and Mauro after being born in the U.S. Talia shares her father's appreciation for Colombia, but she remains determined to get to the U.S. so she can be with her mother and siblings. She barely knows them...