Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz: A Quinceañera Club Novel
by: Belinda Acosta
Published by: Grand Central Publishing (July 22 release)
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Reviewed by Beth Cummings
Set in San Antonio, Texas, Belinda Acosta’s novel is rich in Tex-Mex traditions and language. Damas, Dramas and Ana Ruiz is the first in a planned series of books that portray Mexican-American family life and the parties that are frequently held on a girl’s fifteenth birthday–a quinceañera. As the title might indicate, there is a lot of Spanish and Spanglish used in the book. “Damas” are the girls who serve in the court of the birthday girl. A quinceañera involves both a religious mass–a blessing as a girl leaves childhood and becomes a woman, and an extravagant party with fancy dresses, tuxedos and traditional food and dances.
In this particular book, Ana Ruiz is the mother of a fourteen-year-old daughter, Carmen. Their life has recently been thrown off kilter when her husband, Esteban moved out of the house. Neither Carmen nor her older brother, Diego know why he left, but Carmen blames her mother. In the hope of restoring some of the closeness they used to have, Ana suggests that Carmen might want to have a quinceañera. Initially, Carmen balks at the idea, but with a push from her cousin, Bianca, the party begins to take shape. So while her marriage is falling apart, Ana Ruiz works to find herself and to make a special happy memory for her daughter.
I enjoyed this book a great deal. It gives a lot of insight into the cultural differences found in Mexican-American families. However, Acosta’s use of Spanish words and phrases in the book could be off-putting for some readers–particularly those who feel the need to pronounce and specifically define every word they read. For the most part, the meanings of the words are evident within the context of the story and often are actually defined within a sentence or two of being used. It does require the patience to deal with that or a fair amount of Spanish language understanding to get the most from the book. I am sure it would be a big success among the Mexican-American community for whom this combination of languages is everyday speech.
Armchair Interviews says: Nicely written story of family life.
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