The Liars of Mariposa Island

The Liars of Mariposa Island
Jennifer Mathieu
Roaring Brook/Macmillan, 2019 352 pages
Grades 9-Up
Realistic Fiction/Historical Fiction

Three narrators relate the story of a family consisting of a recently graduated brother, sixteen year old daughter, and the single mother who continues to dysfunctionally parent them. Mami is not a typical mother. She grew up rich on the beautiful island nation of Cuba and had to flee her home and leave everything behind after the revolution. Never quite adjusting to her loss of status and life in the US, Mami is now a bitter alcoholic who is controlling and abusive to her children. Elena and Joaquin handle Mami in different ways. Joaquin takes the straight approach, staying out as he pleases and doing what he wants. Joaquin would love to leave the Texas seaside town and move to California, only a new girlfriend and worry for his sister keeps him from bolting. Meanwhile, Elena has learned how to best appease Mami. She tells her what she wants to hear and leaves the house only to babysit a family of summer people. Through her best friend Elena meets an older boy with wild habits who makes Elena finally feel like she matters. This pivotal summer of 1986 rolls along alternating between the narrations of Elena and Joaquin. Other chapters with a different font delve into the past and slowly reveal Mami's journey from her homeland to this new life in the United States. She withholds secrets about her past to her children, just as they withhold secrets from her--and each other.

Set in 1986, this book is gently Historical Fiction. The 80’s setting is not too intregal to the overall story, but Mami’s flashbacks to the Cuban Revolution give it an extra layer of a time gone by. Mathieu (Moxie) pens a well-crafted tale of secrets, lies, and the complexities of families. All of the characters are making bad decisions and would benefit from working together instead of hiding things from each other, but that wouldn't make much of a book. Instead readers will sift through the lies to discover what is actually truth as we slowly begin to understand what has made Mami such a despicable creature and why Elena resorts to making up wild stories and picking inappropriate boyfriends. Because of the use of teen drinking, drugs and both teen characters having sex with their significant others (with no mention of birth control), this book is best suited for mature teens. The end feels a bit abrupt, yet provides hope for the one character who seems the least damaged, yet who must make a huge sacrifice to achieve freedom. Reluctant readers will enjoy this book. I had a hard time putting it down and couldn't wait to get back to it between readings to see what will be revealed next. Mathieu thoughtfully labels each chapter with the narrator's name, making it very clear whose story we are hearing. Readers will learn a bit about the Cuban revolution as they keep turning pages to see what will become of this wildly dysfunctional family.