Fruit of the Drunken Tree

New York: Doubleday, 2018. N3 - An advance reading copy paperback book SIGNED and inscribed by author to previous owner with blue image stamped on the title page in very good condition that has some bumped corners, light discoloration and shelf wear. IN THE VEIN OF ISABEL ALLENDE AND GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ, A MESMERIZING DEBUT SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE DEVASTATING VIOLENCE OF 1990S COLUMBIA ABOUT A SHELTERED YOUNG GIRL AND A TEENAGE MAID WHO STRIKE UP AN UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP THAT THREATENS TO UNDO THEM BOTH. 9"x6", 306 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. The Santiago family lives in a gated community in Bogota, safe from the political upheaval terrorizing the country. Seven-year-old Chula and her older sister Cassandra enjoy carefree lives thanks to this protective bubble, but the threat of kidnappings, car bombs, and assassinations hovers just outside the neighborhood walls, where the godlike drug lord Pablo Escobar continues to elude authorities and capture the attention of the nation. When their mother hires Petrona, a live-in-maid from the city's guerilla-occupied slum, Chula makes it her mission to understand Petrona's mysterious ways. But Petrona's dd behavior belies more than shyness. She is a young woman crumbling under the burden of providing for her family as the riptide of first love pulls her in the opposite direction. As both girls' families scramble to maintain stability amid the rapidly escalating conflict, Petrona and Chula find themselves entangled in a web of secrecy that will force them both to choose between sacrifice and betrayal. Inspired by the author's own life, and told through the alternating perspectives of the willful Chula and the achingly hopeful Petrona, Fruit of the Drunken Tree contrasts two very different inextricable coming-of-age stories. In lush prose, Rojas Contreras sheds light on the impossible choices women are often forced to make in the face of violence, and on the unexpected connections that can blossom out of desperation. . Signed by Author. Paperback. Very Good/No Jacket as Issued. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Advance Reading Copy (ARC).