Give It To Me
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. --Annie Tully--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.