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A review by julinino19
Neverforgotten by Alejandra Algorta
5.0
Full disclosure: I am Colombian, and my family is mainly from Bogotá. My dad is Bogotá through and through – born and raised. This 100% had a lot to do with my enjoyment of this short, lovely novel.
This book is written in both English and Spanish. The English side is a translation, so perhaps if I read it in English I would've had a different experience. Regardless, this is a beautifully written story that might seem really simple to most, but there is an underlying love letter in the pages… a love letter to Bogotá itself. Maybe not those love letters that are a proclamation of love, but one of acknowledgement. One that says… you are what you are and I will always love you for it, even if your magnitude scared me my entire life.
I agree with the people that think this is misplaced and shouldn't have been marketed as middle grade. I think it would do better in the YA section of a bookstore. The prose is one I admired, but I think it's safe to say it would've probably gone over my head if I read this when I was younger.
Nevertheless, I love what this story subtly said about memory, loss, family, and how we interact with the place we call home.
I will always be eager to read anything from a Colombian voice (:
This book is written in both English and Spanish. The English side is a translation, so perhaps if I read it in English I would've had a different experience. Regardless, this is a beautifully written story that might seem really simple to most, but there is an underlying love letter in the pages… a love letter to Bogotá itself. Maybe not those love letters that are a proclamation of love, but one of acknowledgement. One that says… you are what you are and I will always love you for it, even if your magnitude scared me my entire life.
I agree with the people that think this is misplaced and shouldn't have been marketed as middle grade. I think it would do better in the YA section of a bookstore. The prose is one I admired, but I think it's safe to say it would've probably gone over my head if I read this when I was younger.
Nevertheless, I love what this story subtly said about memory, loss, family, and how we interact with the place we call home.
I will always be eager to read anything from a Colombian voice (: