One Year of Ugly

Yola and her entire extended family leave the chaos of Venuezela at night by boat for nearby Trinidad. Although they are illegal, their lives progress smoothly until Yola’s Aunt Celia dies.

Then they find they are deeply in debt to a smuggler who arranged their passage. He goes by the name “Ugly”, and threatens bodily harm to them and their children unless they do exactly as he says.

The first requirement is that all three of the households must accept illegals day or night and treat them as honored guests until they are ready to be moved on.

But complications arise, and Ugly then demands the entire family work without pay at his brothel/strip club. Yola’s family are commandeered into positions such as makeup artists, caretakers show more and receptionists. It was surprising to me that none of the family was forced into sexual slavery – but that may have been due to Yola’s increasingly romantic feelings toward Roman, Ugly’s chief enforcer.

How to get out of the situation and keep everyone safe?

It was an interesting look at the problems of illegal immigrant eyes. I appreciated the strong family bonds and the often light hearted story, even if, at times it stretched my credulity.

However, I do see the justice in those who called this novel ‘cultural appropriation’ as the Venuzuelan immigrants were written by a Trinidadian author. This would be similar to a book written by a US author calling out the problems of illegal Latinx immigrants, and perhaps especially offensive if many of the hardships had a humorous turn. show less

I was interested in this story because of the immigrant perspective in Trinidad. When a family is faced with an enormous debt left by "the family bitch", the dangerous payoff wreaks havoc in all sorts of bizarre ways.

Yola is a writer and translator who lives in Trinidad with her father, mother, and younger sister. When a gun-toting man named Ugly shows up at their barbeque demanding payment that the deceased Aunt Celia owed him, the Palacio family get to work off the debt by proxy or else. Meaning they get to host illegal immigrants from Venezuela for free in their home for an undetermined amount of time. What Yola doesn't see coming is the very attractive Román, Ugly's right-hand man, and "Surveillance Expert". A job he takes show more seriously when it comes to Yola. However, when Aunt Milagros goes crazy and accidentally shoots a guest with a pellet gun bringing unwanted attention to Ugly, she is saved by Román, unbeknownst to his employer. In the meantime, the family is forced to pay again by working at a high-end strip club and surprising secrets are soon revealed.

I love Yola's dedication to her Aunt Celia's memory. Aunt Celia sounded like a bold, take life by horns, kind of woman who lived life to the fullest. The funny antics she pulls on her cheating husband are hilarious. Yola seemed like the sensible one in the family (contrary to her schlepping an enforcer-type criminal) who keeps to herself and seems a bit lost without her Aunt Celia to talk to. Román's personality is a bit contradictory for his line of work which may have to do with his attraction to Lola. In fact, he turns out to be a good guy who helps Yola and her family more than once. Aunt Milagros, the religious spinster, is another one I liked especially when she started chainsmoking and walking around like Rambo with a pellet gun. There were several LOL moments considering the seriousness of the subject matter.

Overall, this was an engaging and informative story that touched on a lot of subjects including illegal immigration, prejudice, grief, and self-identity. If you enjoy contemporary fiction filled with serious issues, dark humor, and quirky characters, give this book a try.

Thank you to Ms. Mackenzie for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review. show less

Oscar Wao meets The Godfather. A few minor issues prevent this from being a 5 star rating. Otherwise, it was quirky, outrageous, and intense. A great read!