Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann

When Daniel was 12 years old his father was dragged away by Chilean soldiers claiming that he has broken the law. Daniel's father, Marcelo, is put through torture, at time s being beaten until he no longer had use to the right side of  his body. 6 years later, After being relocated into the Americas, Daniel and his mother and sister live a simple and safe life.  When they recieved the call that Marcelo was being released  they couldnt have been happier. A husband and father was finally coming home. All this changed however when he finally came home. There was no longer a fun loving man in what was left of the body. Instead there was a man bitter and cold. Daniel must now help his father cope with this new life. But how can he with a man he doesnt even recognize.

When i first started this book i was amazed by how detailed the chapter was. I actually felt like i was there with Marcelo when he was being interrogated. I absolutly loved how the author was also able to incooperate the chilean culture throughout the whole book. One thing that i didnt like was that the chapters changed with the characters point of view. I found myself becoming confused as to who was talking. I also with they had more of a back story as to why marcelo was arrested. Another thing i really wanted to see was an epilogue or some sort of after story. At the end i was still left with many questions such as what happened when he went back? Did the family ever reunite. I did feel the emotions of the character based on the descriptions provided. I felt scared when he was interrogated. I felt nervous when Daniel was finally meeting his father again. i was sad when Daniel found out his parents were getting a divorce.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is into a book with a really deep back story. Although the author didnt directly say what had happened before the fact, you still got a taste of what it was about.

Rating: 3 Stars