Magical realist novel set in small town New Mexico, in which Sofia and her four increasingly strange daughters generally fail to get what they deserve. It's not a particularly happy story, though there's a strain of good humour running through it, but it is I think a particularly kind one, in that it's full of compassion for those who are different (and for those who have to live with them). It's funny and feminine and diverse, well worth reading. It certainly feels more accessible than some of the more iconic magical realist texts - Gabriel Garcia Marquez is an excellent writer, for example, but I find his prose very dense sometimes, admirable as it is, whereas Castillo has a lovely light touch with hers, and I find her informality very attractive.