This may be so embarrassing to admit, but I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is the first book I have read for fun in approximately two years. And because this is my first book review since I’ve started this blog a year and a half ago, that’s how you know I haven’t read for fun in a long time. But hey, at least I am (slowly) starting to get back into it. I wrote a book review for American Panda, but that was for a school publication. I’ll share the link to it at the bottom of this article.
So now for the meat, the actual book review. Before I give my opinions, shall I give a synopsis of the book? I’ll attempt to do it without explicit spoilers.
The Synopsis: Written by Erika L. Sánchez, I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter revolves around a teenage girl named Júlia Reyes (pronounced the Spanish way like who-lia) who lost her older sister, Olga, after she was hit by a semi truck while walking across the street. From there, the family faces obstacles, especially considering that Olga was the favorite child. Júlia navigates her high school years struggling with grief and her relationship with her parents. She communicates with her friends and tries to find the truth about her sister as a way of coping. And along the way, she finds out some things that are opposite of how her parents perceived Olga and goes through a period of life away from her parents.
The Good: The plot is very interesting! The title alone, while kind of misleading, automatically brings interest as to what the book may be about. Needless to say, there is definitely some juicy drama and plot twists. There were nights where I read dozens of pages, because it was such an interesting journey. I love how Sánchez incorporated Spanish into the book with small sentences! It’s interesting to read something from the perspective of a Chicana, because that does not happen everyday. And for that alone, it deserves some credit.
The Bad: That said, there were some questionable statements made in the story. Yeah, it is from Júlia’s perspective. However, some of them could have been left out. One of the remarks made in the book was pretty classist in my opinion, which was this section: “Mexican ladies are always knitting doilies for everything–dollies for the TV, doilies for vases, doilies for useless knick knacks. Doilies as far as the eye can see! How pointless. This is what Amá would call “naco.” We may be poor, but at least we’re not this tacky.” I don’t think the references about white people did much for the story either, and some of her remarks about women were pretty problematic to say the least.
Considering that Júlia has gone through a lot with her mental health, you can have some empathy for her. However, some of the remarks she made were not appropriate. Especially about religion. There was one part where she went to church with her mother and said an inappropriate remark to a man she didn’t even know. Religious or not, you should know better than to say stuff like that in a church. Some critics raised points about her pessimistic personality, and they made some fair points.
The book does go based on a narrow view of Mexico and Mexican culture in general. Going into depth about Mexico is a topic for another day. As for the title, it made me wonder. What is the criteria for being a “perfect Mexican daughter?” Júlia’s parents favored Olga for staying around home and doing her tasks, and others perceived Olga as a saint. However, are there general expectations for being a “perfect Mexican daughter?” Is there such a thing as a “perfect Mexican daughter?” I have questions about that. There is no such thing as a 100% non-fictitious portrayal of something, and it is just a story. However, relying too much on stereotypes can make or break your story, depending on the execution.
The Ugly: Regardless of the highs and lows, a main critique of mine is that the writing could have been more compelling. There were parts of telling that could’ve been turned into dialogue. For example, instead of just telling what Amá said or Lorena said, those parts could’ve been turned into dialogue to give a greater immersive experience. Maybe some parts of the story could’ve been chopped off as well? That’s what I’m thinking, but I also think that there should have been a glossary about the Spanish phrases and words or an English translation right after the phrase, especially for those not learning Spanish. Though even for a Spanish learner like me, I had no clue what Amá or Apá meant. I thought they were the names of twins and Júlia’s younger siblings.
Final Verdict: Despite my critiques, the book was really interesting. I remained intrigued throughout the story and kept looking forward to future drama. A fair warning is that the book has references to suicide, sex, and some inappropriate langauge (the word “indio/india” has been used as an insult towards Indigenous people in Latin America). You could say that I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter consists of typical drama elements—part Pretty Little Liars, part every other drama out there. But I personally like stories where there is some juice and unexpected things that occur.
Because of that, this one fit the bill for me, despite the writing leaving some things to the imagination. This is Sánchez’s first novel, so her writing may improve as she writes more books. But especially due to it being from the perspective of a child of Mexican immigrants, this one is a good read if you want to read a story about a non-white protagonist.
Link to my first book review: https://www.connectionsacademy.com/the-monitor/american-panda-book-review
