Caramelo
by Sandra Cisneros
Nominations: Dublin Finalist 2004, Women’s Longlist 2003
Date Read: November 22, 2022
Caramelo follows the Reyes family as they live a dual existence, with one foot in the U.S. and the other across the border in Mexico. Three of the Reyes brothers drive to Mexico City every summer, with wives and children in tow, to visit their parents who still live there. The grandchildren refer to their grandmother, Soledad, as the “Awful Grandmother.” Of course, anyone who becomes this hated didn’t start out this way.
So begins the story of the generations of the Reyes family and how they came to be. From loves won and lost. Hearts given and betrayed. Fortunes sought and never found. Living in one culture but being from another. The lives of this family are rich, textured and feel based on truth.
Cisneros is incredibly skilled here at painting the duality of the kids being brought up in America. They live in American culture but are still held to Mexican standards and compared to other kids from Mexico. When Lala runs off to Mexico City with Ernesto, her aunt and uncle that that kind of disgrace would only occur to a gringa, not a Mexicana. The deception of cultural superiority is from both sides of the border.
What is remarkable about Caramelo is Cisneros’ ability to paint a vivid picture of sights, sounds, smells, textures, sensations that make this novel rich throughout. I felt like some recipes would have been welcomed. All of these details culminate in an understanding that these characters originate from a long line of tradition handed down through generations to give them a solid sense of culture, even if parts of that culture are somewhat rigid.
Overall, this was a novel so rich and complex that it was difficult to put down. Cisneros brings her keen eye for observation to bear on an imperfect but lovable family.
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