Tell Me Something True
Author: Leila Cobo (website, Facebook, Twitter)
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Date: October 1, 2009
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0446519366
299 pages
Gabriella always loved the picture of her mother kneeling in front of a bed of roses, smiling, beautiful and impossibly happy. But then she learns that her late mother hated gardening; that she had never wanted the house in the Hollywood hills, the successful movie producer husband, and possibly, her only daughter. When Gabriella discovers a journal — a book that begins as a new mother’s letters to her baby girl, but becomes a secret diary — the final entry leaves one question unanswered: the night her mother died, was she returning to Colombia to end an affair, or was she abandoning her family for good?
Initial Reaction:
Really interesting story – I enjoyed the characters and the plot. Very sad, though. You may tear up!
Really interesting story – I enjoyed the characters and the plot. Very sad, though. You may tear up!
Characters:
Gabriella is a young woman from Los Angeles, with roots in Cali, Columbia, Gabriella lost her mother, Helena, to a plane crash at a very young age. She has grown up thinking of her mother as being perfect, a wonderful, devoted wife and mother, who loved to garden. She has had no reason to think otherwise. The story is told in alternating chapters in both of their voices. Gabriella’s is the “present” voice; and Helena’s is the “past” voice, telling the reader about her own life and the reasons she made the decisions she did.
Gariella makes a yearly visit to Cali to visit her grandmother and other family members. During this trip to Cali, though, she discovers something that changes her outlook toward her deceased mother. She finds her mother’s diary, outlining a torrid affair she was having during the time of her death. As Gabriella discovers something new about her mother, Helena’s chapters explain things more in detail, so the reader gets the full picture of what actually was happening in Helena’s life during that time. For example, Gabriella has grown up thinking that Helena loved gardening based on a photograph she has of her and her mother in the garden. Helena actually hated to garden! Helena explains in her chapter how the picture came to be, which is really interesting and very sweet. As Gabriella reads the diary, Helena explains her thoughts and feelings during the time, so the reader gets the full picture of Helena as well as Gabriella’s reaction to these discoveries. I loved how the story was told. It was not confusing at all and really gave more depth to these characters.
During her trip to Cali, Gabriella meets and falls in love with Angel, the son of a well-known drug dealer. Angel’s father is currently serving time in jail for his crimes. Angel and Gabriella’s relationship is tender and sweet, and I found myself rooting for them, despite all the obstacles in their way. You can feel their emotions and that they were truly falling in love with one another. But, with Gabriella’s family telling her to keep away from Angel, due to his father’s reputation as a drug kingpin, and their fear for her safety, Gabriella becomes even more confused. As she struggles to understand her mother’s secret life and her growing love for Angel, she truly grows as a person throughout the novel. I really loved Gabriella’s and Angel’s characters.
Plot:
The plot of this story was very engaging. Although I wouldn’t say it is unique, the characters are what make this story. The plot is almost secondary to the characterization of Gabriella, Helena, and Angel. Their growth through the novel is what kept it moving along. I wanted to know more about them. I did enjoy the plot and the questions that are raised with Helena’s infidelity. For example, on that final flight – was Helena going to Cali to break off the affair or was she going there to stay forever, leaving her husband and young daughter behind?
The relationship between Gabriella and Angel was wonderful, perfect, shocking, and sad. Toward the end of the novel, I was in tears. I did not predict some of the things that happened, so I was truly shocked when they happened. This book definitely gets high marks for shocking this reader!
Setting:
I loved the setting in Columbia! It’s so different from what I’m used to reading and I found that it was portrayed very realistically. After I finished the book, I read a bit on the author and she is actually from Cali, so that would explain the attention to detail! This was a great setting for a story and I found myself drawn right into it, picturing myself right there with the characters.
Overall Opinion:
I really enjoyed this story immensely and I would definitely recommend it to any contemporary fiction lovers. The setting in Columbia is fantastic and I loved these characters. This book gets the Crazy Fabulous Badge of Distinction!
**I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.**
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