Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.

The story opens in 2013 when Julia, then 15, loses her older sister Olga, 22, in a devastating accident. Olga was held up as the model Mexican daughter. She was content to stay at home and follow strict house rules. Olga had a job as a receptionist in a downtown Chicago office and was also a part-time community college student.

Julia is Olga’s polar opposite. She sets her sights on college and has a strong interest in literature, poetry and art. She has an ally in her English teacher, Mr. Ingman, who believes she is on the right track to academic and future career success. After Olga’s death, the family falls apart. Julia’s mom and dad drift even further apart. Julia’s mom is especially punitive and controlling, even to the point of tearing up Julia’s diary when she encounters expletives. She is not fluent in English and feels threatened by Julia’s burgeoning independence.

Julia’s dad slaves and toils away in a candy factory, often pulling late shifts and double shifts. He does not communicate much and after Olga’s death retreats into a shell of silence.

But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend, Lorena, and her first love Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

This poignant but often laugh-out-loud funny book is about losing a sister and finding yourself amid the pressures, expectations and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican-American home. (SD-Agencies)