{ Book Recommendation }
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"What song could Pablo Escobar possibly sing in the shower". - Ingrid Rojas Contreras.
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Few books tug at your heart and it's mostly because the story often belongs to the authors' themselves. Fruit of a drunken tree is a brilliant story written based on the author's personal experience. While I knew how difficult it must have been for refugees and people who struggled during the refugee crisis and also during the era of Pablo Escobar, this book educated me by painting a not so pretty picture about the reality.
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This story is about a young girl called Chula Santiago who strikes a unique friendship with her house maid Petrona who is just 13 years old. Petrona lives in the invasions without a proper house and is plagued by poverty. Chula is the main protagonist who sees things through eyes of innocence and always gives others the benefit of doubt. Her friendship with Petrona turns out to be more dangerous than she could have imagined but that doesn't stop her from staying away.
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It's hard to sum up this story because every chapter has something to say about Columbia and it's culture. The story is heart-wrenching and often stirs up emotions for Chula. This book is important because it shows how people were forced to kidnap children of the rich and demand for a ransom to curb their poverty. It shows how the drug lord shook people with fear and killed Galan in public. It shows how people suffered when their children went out for a job and came back becoming Guerrillas.
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It's educative, stimulating and everything that we need to know about the unfortunate and brave ones who had to survive through all this. They had to leave their homes and move to a new country where they were stamped with a lable of refugees. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in learning about all the tragedy and richness that Columbia reflects.
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A solid 5 star rating.