The Second Time We Met
After he is given a second chance at life, Asher Sebastian Stone seeks out the woman who gave him his first chance, his birth mother, Rita Ortiz. Finding Rita, however, is no simple task, and it leads Asher to the story of a small Colombian town, a beautiful lonely girl, a forbidden love with a dangerous outsider, and a painful family rejection. In notably rich language, Cobo paints a vivid picture of an intelligent young woman whose strict and unaffectionate parents leave her with a deep longing to be loved that follows her throughout life. The story is told from both Rita’s and Asher’s perspectives, and although Rita’s story is thoroughly compelling, Asher’s tale struggles to attain the same level of emotional vibrancy. Still, difficult questions regarding adoption, acceptance, belonging, and what makes up a family are addressed perceptively, and Cobo skillfully resolves some story lines while leaving readers to draw their own conclusions for others. --Eve Gaus