Reviews

Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

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safsaf118's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I was so invested in this story and just on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was so interesting to see the story through the perspective of someone who is a little bit lost on what's actually happening, and then try to piece together from between the lines. This is such a genuinely gripping read, and I recommend it so often.

king_rune's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

laviskrg's review against another edition

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5.0

Man, where do I begin?
This is one of the best and most heartbreaking books I've read in recent times. It is a harrowing, real, accurate and important depiction of the Pablo Escobar years in Colombia, written as a child of a middle-class family would experience it all. It is the story of trauma affecting so-called "rich" children, bridging class and race and culture and proving that pain is something felt across social spectrums, diverse in its manifestation but real and visceral nonetheless.
Comparison with the works of my favourite author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is unjust and based solely on geographical location. This book is not magical realism (my favourite genre) and that is more than okay because it does not need to be. It is gloriously descriptive, intimate, familiar and foreign at the same time. It is a story of a normal family living abnormal times, closer to the present than is comfortable.
It is also the story of another representative of a class even more victimised by narco war and paramilitary corruption and abuse, Petrona, a poor girl from the favela, whose life is constructed on horrendous pain and unstoppable loss. Petrona was not the strong point of the novel, however, I much preferred the more personal viewpoints of Chula and Cassandra. But Petrona opens the readers' eyes on a Bogota which is both thoroughly neglected and perversely fetishized, though a sadder reality than is comfortable for tourists and series watchers.
This book is tremendous and difficult to swallow but infinitely readable.

karimorton33's review against another edition

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3.0

I liked that this book was about something I don’t know much about, and that it was from the perspective of children experiencing it. I did find myself confused at times though, and wish more of the story had been from Petrona’s perspective. (Read for Central Book Club)