Caramelo was chosen as notable book of the year by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the San Fracisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, and the Seattle Times. The book was awarded the 2005 Premio Napoli and nominated for several other prestigious literary awards.
Storyline
Celaya Reyes is the main character of this story. She is the youngest of seven children, the only girl, and Inocencio Reyes’ favorite, her father. The latter leads to life of resentment from her mother and grandmother, who both vie for his love and attention.
Throughout the book, Celaya narrates stories she has heard from her father or other members of her family, and with each story she understands a little more about herself and her life. Her main revelation is that her mother and grandmother do not hate her simply for being herself, rather they belittle and insult her because they are jealous. They simply want to be loved the way she is.
The book is written in a very clever way that lends to the genius of the writer. One of the main themes of the book is a caramel colored shawl that the Awful Grandmother’s mother was weaving, but left unfinished. This parallels the point that the writer wants to convey, that life is often an unfinished story that can be unraveled and woven back together again, but never in the same way. Stories are told, and retold, sometimes outright lies prevail over the truth, and life always remains a mess of stories and lies that people try to sort out.
Major Themes
One theme that the writer conveys is the way Mexican women are sheltered. Society believes it is best to give as little information to the women, because the less they know the better off they are. What society wants to protect women from is the world, and it Instead of educating women about what they will face as women, such as their bodies, men, sex, and societal roles, families let young girls fall into everything in an instant. Instead of teaching a person to swim gradually, they just throw them in the deep end and are shocked by life.
There is one major parallel between the three main women characters in the book. They are all square pegs being jammed into cylindrical holes. Not literally, but figuratively. Even they are trying to mold themselves into what society needs them to be, and they are all miserable. Soledad wanted to fit into society’s mold, Zoila is very domestic and pissed off by her wife and mother roles. Celaya is on her way to becoming bitter and upset just like her predecessors, but is unique and lives in a different time where she will find an escape to the mold.
This book comes together wonderfully in the end, where it is left open ended by the author. The message she relays is that there is more to life than clean and perfect structure. The best part of life is like the fringe of a shawl, a beautiful tattered mess.
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Carmen Sofia Grant - Carmen is a social media marketer, freelance writer, and blogger. Her favorite blogs are MomCrunch and Social Media Examiner.com
