I think this was a good book. From the reviews on Amazon (probably not the most reliable source!), I was expecting a fantastic book, so I was, unfortunately, a little under-whelmed. But it is pretty good.

The book is two intertwining stories: the story of life inside a Mexican Women’s prison and the story of Libertad González’s life, which she tells in installments for the weekly Library Club. There are many sad stories in this book, as you can imagine for a book set inside a prison, but the general air is of uplift and redemption. There’s not much about recidivism and, while there is violence, the high crime rate inside of most prisons is somewhat glossed over. The inmates here are generally focused on making their lives better. Most want to get out, though some, including Libertad, treat prison as a retreat from the outside world and ask to stay in. I think it is this light air to the book that means that, despite the heavy subject matter, González & Daughter is a pretty quick read.

I thought González & Daughter felt more like an outsider’s view of two very specialized worlds (the prison and truckers); like the unrealistic air was from lack of verisimilitude, not from an intentional choice. This is too bad, since I actually got the sense that the author did a lot of research. And maybe that’s the problem; it felt like an author who researched, for example, CB radio language and was intent on using it as much as possible, not like actual truckers speaking.

All that criticism aside, I liked this book. The concept is great: despite allusions to telenovelas and Scheherazade, it’s a really unique book.

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