Sophia's Reviews > Familia
Familia
by
by
A researcher and her coworkers take a DNA test and a sister she never knew she had messages her from Puerto Rico. Familia is part women’s fiction and part mystery and I was all intrigued for a mystery story set in Puerto Rico.
Lauren Rico introduces her book with an explanation of how it came to be. I’m always interested in the origin of an author’s story so learning this is a loving tribute to her own Puerto Rican heritage was a good set up for the agonizing story of a family torn apart when a grief-stricken father gets drunk and discovers his baby daughter was taken. The heart of Familia begins years later when an American woman who was certain in her own background and family has all that history torn apart like tissue paper when she learns she is likely the long lost child who was taken from her Puerto Rican family.
Gabby di Marco doesn’t take this news easily and struggles when she meets her birth sister, Isabella Ruiz, and is determined to get to the bottom of what happened those many years before. Isabella is overjoyed to have found the sister she always believed was still alive, but must come to grips that this prickly stranger may not ever choose to think of them as long lost sisters.
The mystery is about finding out how Gabby came to be taken and it turned out to be sad and sordid with drugs and greed laced through it. The bright spot was seeing Gabby go from being under-whelmed by Puerto Rico and her birth family to a relationship developing. I wish there had been more about the Puerto Rican setting beyond the gritty La Perla area of Old San Juan where dark cravings are found, but still it was interesting to get some of the culture along with an emotional story.
Familia is not my usual fair, but I was glad to have given it a go and hope Lauren Rico writes more mild domestic thrillers like this one.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on 6.5.24
Lauren Rico introduces her book with an explanation of how it came to be. I’m always interested in the origin of an author’s story so learning this is a loving tribute to her own Puerto Rican heritage was a good set up for the agonizing story of a family torn apart when a grief-stricken father gets drunk and discovers his baby daughter was taken. The heart of Familia begins years later when an American woman who was certain in her own background and family has all that history torn apart like tissue paper when she learns she is likely the long lost child who was taken from her Puerto Rican family.
Gabby di Marco doesn’t take this news easily and struggles when she meets her birth sister, Isabella Ruiz, and is determined to get to the bottom of what happened those many years before. Isabella is overjoyed to have found the sister she always believed was still alive, but must come to grips that this prickly stranger may not ever choose to think of them as long lost sisters.
The mystery is about finding out how Gabby came to be taken and it turned out to be sad and sordid with drugs and greed laced through it. The bright spot was seeing Gabby go from being under-whelmed by Puerto Rico and her birth family to a relationship developing. I wish there had been more about the Puerto Rican setting beyond the gritty La Perla area of Old San Juan where dark cravings are found, but still it was interesting to get some of the culture along with an emotional story.
Familia is not my usual fair, but I was glad to have given it a go and hope Lauren Rico writes more mild domestic thrillers like this one.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on 6.5.24
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Reading Progress
November 4, 2023
– Shelved
March 24, 2024
–
Started Reading
March 27, 2024
–
Finished Reading