Kari's Reviews > The Things We Didn’t Know

Andrea is the protagonist of this story, just a young girl when her mother puts her and her brother Pablo in a car and tries to leave their father. They’re Puerto Rican, living in an American industrial town in the 1950s—a reality their mother has found isolating and disappointing. They eventually do make it back to Puerto Rico; the bouncing back and forth between homelands leaves Andrea confused about where she belongs, a feeling she maintains as she grows up and has kids of her own. The title of this book is perfect—it’s about those realities that make no sense as a child, when you don’t understand the whole picture of the world around you. At points, the story was heartbreaking. Always, you are rooting for Andrea. Impressive debut novel; my only frustration is WHY is the image on the cover of a sandy haired white girl when it’s a Puerto Rican character and the author the winner of a contest (and thus published) SPECIFICALLY to give voice to underrepresented groups??? 🤦‍♀️