Belen, protagonist of Carolina Ixta's Shut Up,This Is Serious, and her best friend, Leti are in a world of trouble. It's easier to see with Leti. The daughter of traditional Mexican Catholic parents, she has become pregnant. Her parents don't take the news well. Her father concludes a lecture on what a disappointment she is with "Did she know women like her go to hell? Did she know men like Quentin go to prison?" Her mother is horrified by the prospect of a darker skinned (Quentin is Black) grandchild.
Leti is actually in a better position that Belen. An excellent, highly motivated student, she's still determined to go to a top university. And Quentin is taking his parenting responsibility seriously.
Belen is doing her best to help Leti. Meanwhile she's the kind of teen who is on the brink of falling through the cracks. Her father has abandoned the family. Her mother is away working most of the time. And when she's physically home she's emotionally absent. Big sister, Ava, is constantly criticizing her.
The girls are seniors. Belen has pretty much given up on school. She has no idea whether she can even graduate, never mind what her life will look like beyond June. She's sleeping with a college student who is only using her. And she's showing signs of depression and anxiety.
This truly engaging coming of age narrative is set in a community and culture Ixta brings vividly to life. I hope this brilliant debut novelist is hard at work on her sophomore book.
On a purrrsonal note, Maine Hello went just fine. It was so exciting to see our wonderful first year students. The President's cookout was marvelous too.
A great big shout out goes out to the awesome dining crew whose hard work made the cookout fun and memorable.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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