FICTION

We Never Asked for Wings

by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Ballantine. Aug. 2015. 320p. ISBN 9780553392319. $27; ebk. ISBN 9780553392326. F
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Diffenbaugh's second novel (after the best-selling The Language of Flowers) is the immigrant story of Letty Espinoza, a single mother who hasn't had to act like a mother a day in her life. Her two children, Alex and Luna, have been faithfully cared for by Letty's mother, up until she abandons them in the middle of the night to seek out her husband in Mexico. Distraught, Letty leaves the children unattended just as abruptly to drunkenly drive after her mother in a fruitless effort to get her to return. Return she doesn't, and Letty is forced to confront parenthood under the umbrella of poverty and illegal immigration.
VERDICT In this novel about hope and working toward a better life despite self-placed obstacles, Letty isn't an overtly likable character, which could be a problem for some readers, but her path is a brave one. Fans of the author's first book won't be disappointed. [See Prepub Alert, 3/30/15.]
Reviewed by Mara Dabrishus, Ursuline Coll. Lib., Pepper Pike, OH , Aug 01, 2015
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