Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera

Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera 
⭐⭐⭐

Neruda on the Park was a heart wrenching novel. The story focuses on the Guerreros and the domino effect that takes place in their community when construction (as well as gentrification) comes knocking on their door. This book mainly follows the experiences and reactions of Luz and her mother, Eusebia. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the truth at the heart of this story. I find that gentrification is a very important topic to discuss within our society because oftentimes, it can be dismissed as a simple fear of change - but it's much bigger than that. I found the conversations in this book about this topic to be extremely effective and powerful! I also loved the generational differences between Luz and her mother, and found their drastically differing opinions intriguing.

I only had two issues with Neruda on the Park - the character development and the ending. I mostly disliked Luz as a character. Many of her decisions/opinions tended to be immature, and though I can understand the role this played in the plot, I found it repetitive and frustrating! As for the ending - it really left me feeling empty, but not in a good way. I can totally resonate with life just sucking sometimes for no good reason. I get that the suffering we go through serves no purpose sometimes. But this particular story really would have benefitted from a more hopeful ending, I think. 

Overall, it wasn't a bad read and I'm glad to have read this one! It was powerful and evocative, and I really enjoyed it despite my few criticisms!