THE BOOK OF EMMA REYES A Memoir

Told in the form of letters, this nontraditional yet fascinating memoir is narrated with grace and clarity by Marisol Ramirez. Colombian artist Emma Reyes shares a series of anecdotes from her desperately poor childhood, memories heavy with cruelty, hunger, and loss. Ramirez maintains a brisk pace that somehow suits the matter-of-fact tone of the letters, but it can be overwhelming to absorb the torrent of hardship Reyes endured as a child. With her gently musical accent and distant tone, Ramirez suggests the uncommon strength the young Reyes cultivated, which, no doubt, helped her to transcend cruel poverty and neglect to pursue a life of travel and, one hopes, beauty. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2017]