We Never Asked for Wings

June 15, 2015
Question: What kind of parent leaves her two children home alone while she takes off in pursuit of her own mother, who's heading back to Mexico?Answer: A parent like Letty Espinosa, the troubled heroine of Diffenbaugh's (The Language of Flowers, 2011) second novel, who suddenly finds herself flying solo and unready to cope. Love and upbringing, the core themes of Diffenbaugh's bestselling debut, also drive her tightly constructed new novel, which uses its compelling opening to establish Letty's fecklessness, her 14-year-old son Alex's prematurely grown-up sense of responsibility, and 6-year-old daughter Luna's needs. Without her own parents, who have been doing all the child care up till now but whose return to Mexico turns out to be permanent, single mother Letty is going to have to juggle the children, work, and housekeeping by herself for the first time, and to start with, it doesn't go well. But Letty's doubts give way to hope as she switches the children to a better school in San Francisco (admittedly, using a false address) and learns from helpful colleague Rick how to mix cocktails that increase her bartending tips. Letty's story is paralleled with Alex's: he's a clever teenager struggling to avoid his mother's mistakes while falling for classmate Yesenia and coming to know the father Letty hid from him his whole life. With its hardscrabble setting and undocumented characters, Diffenbaugh's latest is less overtly romantic than her first; it's strong on social issues but sometimes dragged down by a protagonist whose tendency toward self-criticism can be tiring. The tidy plot and satisfying storytelling are winning, though, and ultimately Diffenbaugh delivers a heartwarming journey that mixes redemption and optimistic insight in equal measure. Less schematic and more down to earth than her first novel, Diffenbaugh's latest confirms her gift for creating shrewd, sympathetic charmers.

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August 1, 2015

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.]--Mara Dabrishus, Ursuline Coll. Lib., Pepper Pike, OH

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2015

Grappling forthrightly with social issues, as she did with her New York Times best seller, The Language of Flowers, Diffenbaugh introduces us to Letty Espinosa, who works three jobs to support the children she must leave to her parents. Now her parents are returning to Mexico, and Letty must learn to be a mother. An August title not to be missed.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.