Malas

Pilar and José Alfredo live in the small Texas border town of La Cienega in 1951. They have a son and are expecting another baby. Then, an older woman appears, claiming to be José Alfredo’s wife. The woman curses the family, and a cascade of tragic events ensue, including the stillborn death of the baby and, later, the death of the Alfredos’ son. In a parallel storyline set in 1994, 14-year-old Lulu is unsupervised and wild. Her father, Julio, is addicted to alcohol, and her mother is dead. She skips school, has sex, rides her father’s motorcycle, and plays in a punk band called Pink Vomit. When her grandmother Romi dies, Lulu encounters Pilar at the funeral, sparking a life-changing friendship. Then, in an epic act of rebellion, Lulu skips her own quinceañera and, seemingly, breaks the family curse. Debut author Fuentes explores the complex familial and superstitious beliefs that result in tragedy and neglect. Fuentes’s prose is beautiful, and her settings are evocative. Christine Avila (as Pilar) and Victoria Villareal (as Lulu) narrate with feeling, conveying both adult and teenage tragedies beautifully.