Marvin Menjívar - Profesor, escritor

" I have no accomplishment [...] I was as much of a nothing as Mommy or Grandma Edith [...] People around town talk about how I wrecked it all [...] So all I have is the knowledge that I saw! That I saw without being afraid and without turning away, and that I didn't forgive the unforgivable. Forgiveness is a reflex for when you can't stand what you know. I resisted that reflex. That's my sole, solitary, lonely accomplishment. " I chose this quote because I think it encapsulates many of the topics of this incredible work of art. This novel is all about the meaning of family when it's toxic, generational cruelty, traditions impossibly to maintain without sacrificing a great part of oneself, forgiveness and cruelty, and the insidious power of the unsaid. I just read this novel for the second time around and I think I'm ready now to talk about this masterpiece. PLOT The novel starts describing the farm in Zebulon County that belongs to the Cook family, and ho...