An engrossing story that's equal parts family drama and coming of age, with a dose of humor thrown in for good measure. There is a fair amount going on beneath the surface of this novel, it's one that you could dissect and discuss for hours. It's beautifully voiced and touching, all while cast in a sort of melancholy tone as El struggles to find a place/identity/home. For some reason it took me a while to get around to reading this (I think it was the cover art, I'm ashamed to admit) but when I picked it up I had a hard time putting it down again.
