Give It to Me

February 10, 2014
Castillo (The Guardians) is highly acclaimed for an adventurous and exquisite use of language in her plays, poetry, essays, and novels, but this latest novel misses the mark. Palma Piedras, who is over 40 and recently divorced, allows her sexual interest in her younger cousin, Pepito, to both flare up and quickly peak when he is released from prison. Sex is the only way that Palma can relate to anyone else, despite a strict upbringing by her grandmother. It’s tempting to call her an unreliable narrator, but the book isn’t necessarily told from her point of view. The reader hovers somewhere above the action through the essay-like narration, as Palma flits from bed to bed, lover to lover, in New Mexico, L.A., and Chicago. Yet even in bed, Palma finds little genuine sense of connection to those around her. Unfortunately, readers may feel equally distant from her, partly due to such distracting stylistic choices as a lack of quotation marks and repeated references to Palma by her full name. Another issue, though, is the nature of Castillo’s heroine, who invariably makes the poorest choice available and then wonders why things aren’t going better. The result is a lack of both character growth and narrative drive.

February 15, 2014

American Book Award winner Castillo (The Mixquiahuala Letters) continues the themes of Latina identity and sexuality prevalent in her previous fiction. Palma Piedras is a strong-willed and recently divorced Latina. Her erratic relationship with Pepito, her younger gangsta cousin recently released from prison, is just one example of her sexual independence. A cast of colorful characters accompanies Palma on her humorous though sometimes emotionally distressing adventures between Albuquerque and Chicago, with side trips to Los Angeles. Her journey to uncover and understand family secrets while staying true to herself is entertaining from the beginning. VERDICT Castillo has established a solid reputation as one of the most powerful writers giving voice to the contemporary Chicana experience. While this novel is a departure from the experimentation she demonstrated in previous fiction, Palma lives up to Castillo's reputation of creating strong characters that defy stereotypes.--Faye Chadwell, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
Castillo's (The Guardians, 2007) provocative new novel brings us Palma Piedras, a forty-plus Albuquerque translator and would-be artist whose oppressive Chicago upbringing reemerges when her grandmother dies and the house must be sold. Palma reunites with sexy ex-con Pepito and sparks fly, despite the fact that he is her cousin and a decade younger. Ever insatiable for new adventures and a magnet for dysfunction, Palma walks blindly into some outrageous sexual escapades in both of her home cities, as well as in Los Angeles, where she seeks out the parents who left her behind. Rather than deal with that abandonment or her failed relationships with a cartel-involved ex-husband and a young stripper/nurse, Palma distracts herself with sex. If Palma has any inhibitions, Castillo isn't concerned with them but, rather, with asking questions about class, family, and happiness. In the end, what Palma wants the world to give her isn't what we expect. Though Palma's escapades can grow somewhat tiresome, which may be intentional, this is a fun, insightful, sometimes raunchy read that will be welcomed by Castillo's many fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)