The Everything I Have Lost by Sylvia Zéleny
They are for figuring out what went wrong.”
Thirteen-year-old Julia keeps a deeply personal journal describing her life near the Mexico -United States border. Over the course of approximately two years she discloses her fears, her uncertainty, and the longings of her heart. Detailed lists and commentary reveal her life, her everything. Living in Juárez with father, mother, and younger brother Willy, Julia’s life experiences a seismic shift when her father begins working for the mafia. She assumes that he is a courier. Suddenly the family has a new car, a new house, and many luxury items. But wealth has a downside. Mamá is no longer her confidant. Her mother's primary objective is to protect and care for her husband. In an attempt to shield her children from the mob's influence and possible retribution, she sends Julia and Willy to live with family in El Paso: Aunt Tia, Cousin Jose, and their dementia- afflicted great grandmother. |
Her father is more than a courier. He is a hit man.
Julia is devastated. Her pain bleeds across her diary pages.
Voices from the Border
Reyna Grande