Set in Bogota, Colombia during the reign of Pablo Escobar, violence is viewed through the eyes of a young girl and her teenage maid. Chula lives in a gated community with her family, living relatively safe from Escobar's reign of terror. Petrona, her maid, lives in the slums of Bogota, where she struggles to support her family and protect them from the constant onslaught of violence they all endure. Chula and Petrona's lives never cross paths until one day when their worlds intersect for one brief, horrifying, moment that neither of them will ever forget. Highly autobiographical, Rojas Conteras does an excellent job of weaving fiction with reality, making it a compelling read.Publisher description:
Seven-year-old Chula and her older sister Cassandra enjoy carefree lives thanks to their gated community in Bogotá, but the threats of kidnappings, car bombs, and assassinations hover just outside the neighborhood walls.