Fruit of the Drunken Tree: A Novel

Because it’s for the most part based on true events from Ingrid Rojas Contreras’s childhood, Fruit of the Drunken Tree has the vibe of a memoir even without the author’s afterword.

Chula is our young main character, and although she doesn’t come from the wealthiest families in the town, she does live in a gated community with guarded outposts. Though she spends most of her days playing with her sister, Cassandra, she worries about the dangers of one day being somehow killed because of Pablo Escobar.

The major turning point in Chula’s and her family’s lives comes when her mother hires a thirteen year old, Petrona, from city’s slum district. Until that moment, every other girl before Petrona had sooner or later done something to be fired for. However Petrona is something special, despite the major financial and social differences between the two families. Petrona’s family everyday must face the danger that comes from rebels and paramilitary groups that rule their part of town and that have even greater power than Columbia’s government.

With all that and much more, one of the book’s strong points is the relationship between Chula, her sister, and their mother.