Jenny Torres Sanchez
JENNY TORRES SANCHEZ is a full-time writer and former English teacher. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, but has lived on the border of two worlds her whole life. She lives in Orlando, Florida, with her husband and children. For more information about Jenny just click on her picture and you will be taken to her website!
Title: Because of the Sun
Genre: This book is a genre of its own
Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication: January 3rd 2017
Cover Rating: 5/5
Because of the Sun is a unique book told in three parts. The first part is before the accident. The second part is after the accident. And the third part is a whirlwind of a lot of things. Past, present, pain, sorrow, happiness, agony, insanity and, most important of all, healing.
Dani is the opposite of her mother. She works her ass off to be that way. I found myself really connecting with Dani and her pain. She really wanted to hate her mother for all the horrible things she had done. But, in the end, she couldn't hate her mother and I am so glad she couldn't because it made her a stronger person.
While I'm sitting here, trying to figure out what points in the book to remark on, I realized that the book is fragmented in my head. There are many events(Paulo, his abuela, Shelly, abuse, school, movies, etc) that feel far away and pointless while others seem to drive the story and get in your face. But I can't piece out the book like that because ALL of these things, no matter how trivial they might seem, made the book what it was. They made Dani who she was and who she was becoming. Sometimes even the tiniest things have a big impact.
I went into this book thinking it was going to be a diverse read. For some reason my brain just thought the main character wasn't a white female. And while the protagonist isn't diverse in race, the book more than makes up for that with the plot and side characters.
When you read the synopsis for this book it makes it seem like The Stranger plays a HUGE roll. Dani fought to get the book. Yes, she did read it throughout the story but it was always something in the background. It's not exactly a bad thing I just thought it would be more prevalent because of the way it was mentioned in the synopsis.
Abuse.... Let's discuss this. Abuse is horrible no matter what form it comes in. Sometimes, I feel like it's genetic with how many people because abusers after being predisposed to it. I mean, it really could be genetic if you look at it as a mental illness. Regardless of whether it is genetic or not, it is still something that is swept under the rug, hidden behind bedroom doors and whispered about between housewives that know it is happening to someone they know. Most abusers have a trigger and the most common trigger is alcohol. But there are people who are just so wicked that they don't need an external source to elicit the screwed up side of them.
The past seems to always come back to haunt you. Sometimes, it's not even your own past. It's the past of someone you love. Someone you are close to. And it's not fair that you have to face another person's past. Something you had nothing to do with. But you do it because there is no way around it. Dani had to face her mother's past but her mother wasn't even brave enough to face it herself. Shelly had to face her demons. Demons that her own mother stood up to. So Ruby, Dani's mother, seemed to be the odd one out.
The ending of this book was beautiful and so sad but I believe Dani and Shelly will finally be okay. They have a long road of healing ahead of them but they are strong and have each other to lean on.
Overall, I gave the book 4.5/5 stars.
*Disclaimer* - I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review that would be used on a blog tour. All opinions are my own.
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