Red Glass, by Laura Resau

First of all, I’d like to thank the unknown blogger who posted a review of Red Glass a while back which prompted me to put this on my TBR.  I’m so glad I did.  This is a story about Sophie, who lives in Arizona with her mom and step-father.  Her step father, who is Hispanic, has helped refugees from Mexico to get to the United States, and they end up taking in a little boy, Pablo whose parents did not survive their escape.  The novel is full of rich, colorful characters, who all have experienced great tragedies.  Sophie’s great aunt, Dika, who is a refugee from Serbia, lives with them and falls in love with a local Hispanic man named Mr. Lorenzo.  Mr. Lorenzo has a son, Angel. Angel’s mother was killed by guerillas in Guatemala.

It ends up that Pablo has relatives in Mexico, and he and Sophie, Dika, Mr. Lorenzo, and Angel go on a long road trip so Pablo can visit his relatives, and possible be returned to them.  This is a big step for Sophie, because she is a worrier.  She worries about getting cancer, being killed by a virus, a car accident, losing her mom, earthquakes, floods--so many things that she doesn’t experience life.  Early in the book she describes herself as “a shapeless amoeba, something that didn’t belong.  Not particularly noticed, definitely not appreciated.” But, Sophie decides to take this adventure on, and it becomes much more of a journey (and a danger) than she ever expected.  She learns much from her companions, about loss, tragedy, and fear that allow her to grow in a very special way. I’m not a big one for quotes, but here’s one I thought worth sharing:

I wondered if he and Angel noticed anything different about me, because I did.  I noticed that the layer of heavy, thick stuff that used to separate me from the world was disappearing, like mist rising and floating away.

There is also a romantic interest that slowly and beautifully develops between Sophie and Angel.  There is adventure and tension, but the end of this book left me with such a good feeling.  It was beautifully written.  The descriptions of Mexico and Guatemala – the flowers, the smells, the houses – made it easy to feel like you were there.  Give this one a try.