The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel

Author: Cristina Henríquez

Publisher: Knopf

A dazzling， heartbreaking page-turner destined for breakout status: a novel that gives voice to millions of Americans as it tells the story of the love between a Panamanian boy and a Mexican girl: teenagers living in an apartment block of immigrant families like their own.

After their daughter Maribel suffers a near-fatal accident， the Riveras leave México and come to America. But upon settling at Redwood Apartments， a two-story cinderblock complex just off a highway in Delaware， they discover that Maribel's recovery-the piece of the American Dream on which they've pinned all their hopes-will not be easy. Every task seems to confront them with language， racial， and cultural obstacles. At Redwood also lives Mayor Toro， a high school sophomore whose family arrived from Panamà fifteen years ago. Mayor sees in Maribel something others do not: that beyond her lovely face， and beneath the damage she's sustained， is a gentle， funny， and wise spirit. But as the two grow closer， violence casts a shadow over all their futures in America. Peopled with deeply sympathetic characters， this poignant yet unsentimental tale of young love tells a riveting story of unflinching honesty and humanity that offers a resonant new definition of what it means to be an American. An instant classic is born.

這本小說(shuō)一經(jīng)出版就引起了轟動(dòng)：它講述了一個(gè)巴拿馬男孩和墨西哥女孩的愛(ài)情故事，他們住在一棟全是移民家庭的公寓樓里。里韋拉斯一家在女兒馬里貝爾經(jīng)歷一場(chǎng)致命的車(chē)禍后，離開(kāi)墨西哥來(lái)到了美國(guó)。他們?cè)谔乩A州某個(gè)公路邊的一棟兩層煤渣砌的雷德伍德公寓樓住下，這才發(fā)現(xiàn)治愈馬里貝爾——一個(gè)他們把所有希望都寄托了的美國(guó)夢(mèng)——并沒(méi)那么容易。語(yǔ)言，民族和文化障礙都讓他們舉步維艱。