Esperanza’s Box of Saints

Esperanza’s Box of Saints is a magical, humorous, and passion-filled odyssey about a beautiful young widow’s search for her missing child — a mission that takes her from a humble Mexican village to the rowdy brothels of Tijuana and a rarely seen side of Los Angeles. Rescued from turmoil by her favorite saint, Esperanza embarks on a journey that tests her faith, teaches her the ways of the world, and transforms her from a fervently religious innocent to an independent, sexual, and passionately devout woman.

Honestly, this book gave me faith to write my first novel. I’m not a flowery wordsmith like traditional authors of serious literature, and I don’t write sassy and sexy prose like many bestselling chick-lit authors. Me? I love magical realism, Mexican pop culture, Ghost World-esque weirdness and the tearjerking melodrama of a decent Douglas Sirk flick …and you know what? Esperanza’s Box of Saints has a touch of it all! I read this book, lurved it (heard about how many others did too) and knew there was a market for quirky Latina fiction.

This book gripped me from the first few pages when Esperanza explains to her priest that San Judas Tadeo appeared to her in her oven window as she cleaned it. She hadn’t scoured the glass for months – which she says was also divine intervention because San Judas needed the proper amount of grime in order to properly manifest. And that experience sends her on a heartwrenching quest to search for her missing daughter. There are luchadors, saints, yummy food, surprises, comedy, sadness and best of all, a message that hope will always prevail in times of struggle.

Right after I read this book, I learned a movie had been made. Eh, the film translation didn’t do the story justice at all.  And that’s coming from someone who is easy to please!

Felicidades,
Kathy 🙂