A review by nesdy
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

3.5

I liked it because it doesn't shy away from difficult topics, and the characters are nuanced, but I do have a big gripe with it:

The novel seems to sympathize a lot with Julia's mother because of the trauma she's been through. However, that doesn't justify the way she's treated Julia her entire life. She never listens or cares about anything Julia tells her. Julia's never allowed any privacy. Even after the suicide attempt, when the novel is trying to convince us that the mother is trying to be a better mother, she never takes any responsibility for what happened. She even tells Julia she didn't know she wanted to be a writer, even though that's all she talks about, and even though the mother ripped her writing journals because she didn't approve. And then she acts as if she was oblivious to it, as if their lack of a relationship is Julia's fault for not trying enough. 

Another thing I hated was that it is very heavily implied that Julia's depression is inherent to her, as if there weren't any other factors, which pissed me off. Of course she's depressed, her own parents don't show her any love and she is trapped in that house. Even after the suicide attempt, when we're supposed to believe her parents are trying, I see the opposite. She gets sent to Mexico. When she shows concern about missing so much class because that will hurt her chances at college, they completely dismiss her and tell her she can always go to community college, something she's said repeatedly she doesn't want to do. 

I don't understand why the novel wants me to empathize with these people.
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