This story is haunting and hard to stomach sometimes. It starts off with a bang that immediately seems your heart racing! Through this story, we see Lydia and her son Luca who live through the slaughter of 16 of their family members at the hands of a cartel. She decides she has to escape to the United States or risk being killed by her once friend, Javier- leader of the cartel.
I had to set down this book several times to get my heartbeat back to normal and read something light hearted in between.
I think this book helps to show what refugees (from anywhere... Not necessarily just Mexico to the US) have to risk and go through to get a better life for themselves. It shows how hard they have to work to stay alive. It shows the determination and love a mother has to save all she has left. It shows that you sometimes never know who to trust and those that you can trust in the instant you meet.
Make sure to read the author's note at the end!