Bodega Dreams: A Novel

The figure of Bodega is interesting, and while I know he's supposed to be shadowy, I wanted a bit more of him--I felt like there was so much more potential there. The book definitely made me want to investigate the history of Spanish Harlem, and Quinonez does a good job depicting the neighborhood almost as another character. I'll steer clear of claims to that depiction's...more

The figure of Bodega is interesting, and while I know he's supposed to be shadowy, I wanted a bit more of him--I felt like there was so much more potential there. The book definitely made me want to investigate the history of Spanish Harlem, and Quinonez does a good job depicting the neighborhood almost as another character. I'll steer clear of claims to that depiction's accuracy--I'm from the Midwest and have no idea. The portrayal of women here is not ideal, unfortunately. The three most fully fleshed women (Blanca, Negra, and Vera) don't seem to have much depth and generally are either nuisances or dangerous nuisances. Quinonez tries to make up for this by including candid discussions of gender roles, but they feel a bit forced at times.   hide