Fruit of the Drunken Tree

A Novel

By: Ingrid Rojas Contreras

Narrated by: Marisol Ramirez, Almarie Guerra, Ingrid Rojas Contreras

“One of the most dazzling and devastating novels I’ve read in a long time...Readers of Fruit of the Drunken Tree will surely be transformed.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Simultaneously propulsive and poetic, reminiscent of Isabel Allende...Listen to this new author’s voice - she has something powerful to say.” (Entertainment Weekly)

A mesmerizing debut set in Colombia at the height Pablo Escobar's violent reign about a sheltered young girl and a teenage maid who strike an unlikely friendship that threatens to undo them both

Seven-year-old Chula and her older sister, Cassandra, enjoy carefree lives thanks to their gated community in Bogotá, but the threat of kidnappings, car bombs, and assassinations hover just outside the neighborhood walls, where the godlike drug lord Pablo Escobar continues to elude authorities and capture the attention of the nation.

When their mother hires Petrona, a live-in-maid from the city's guerrilla-occupied slum, Chula makes it her mission to understand Petrona's mysterious ways. But Petrona's unusual behavior belies more than shyness. She is a young woman crumbling under the burden of providing for her family as the rip tide of first love pulls her in the opposite direction. As both girls' families scramble to maintain stability amid the rapidly escalating conflict, Petrona and Chula find themselves entangled in a web of secrecy that will force them both to choose between sacrifice and betrayal.

Inspired by the author's own life, and told through the alternating perspectives of the willful Chula and the achingly hopeful Petrona, Fruit of the Drunken Tree contrasts two very different but inextricably linked coming-of-age stories. In lush prose, Rojas Contreras has written a powerful testament to the impossible choices women are often forced to make in the face of violence and the unexpected connections that can blossom out of desperation.

©2018 Ingrid Rojas Contreras (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“One of the most dazzling and devastating novels I’ve read in a long time... An exquisitely intimate double portrait of two young women.... Unforgettable.... Readers of Fruit of the Drunken Tree will surely be transformed." (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Simultaneously propulsive and poetic, reminiscent of Isabel Allende...Fruit of the Drunken Tree offers a wake-up call for many. An eye-opening story of survival in a place history books and crime sagas (see: 'Narcos') would have us think we know better than we do... Listen to this new author’s voice - she has something powerful to say.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“A beautifully rendered novel of an Escobar-era Colombian childhood.... You don’t need to have grown up in Bogota to be taken in by Contreras’ simple but memorable prose and absorbing storyline.... I can’t help wondering what novels about Colombia 25 years from now will have to say about this current period. I can only hope they’ll be as sensitive and thoughtful as this one.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“When women tell stories, they are finally at the center of the page. When women of color write history, we see the world as we have never seen it before. In Fruit of the Drunken Tree, Ingrid Rojas Contreras honors the lives of girls who witness war. Brava! I was swept up by this story.” (Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street)

Beautiful and heartbreaking story

Easy to fall in love with the characters. Beautiful story of the personal lives impacted by a heartbreaking time of Colombian history.

Slow read

It was slow and I had a hard time getting through it. I might have liked it better reading it because I could have skimmed past the extreme details that slowed it down. Overall the story was good.

A good read

A touching story of 7 year old girl and her maid. Though it starts slow, worth the patience. Very well narrated.

Beautiful, Eye-Opening, Sad

The narrator brought each character to life and you feel sorry for them, angry at them and above all the story will make you feel.

Insightful

A really good look into the life of a columbian girl. Sad, but not overwhelming. A good novel excellently performed.

Great story and great narration

I saw some reviews about the narration being slow , but if you move it up to 1.15x speed, it's perfect.

Beautifully told story.

As the book went on, I became more attached to the characters. It weaves fact and fiction, reminding me of a time not so long ago.
It’s an important story, especially during this time in the States when we are making everything so Great Again’. Highly recommended.

History Comes Alive

I had just coincidentally watched a TV program about the capture of Pablo Escobar when my friend recommended this book. The program was helpful for learning the historical facts, but this book really brought it to life: the emotions, the reality of living through those times, the impact on real people’s lives. So well done!

captivating read

this book shook me. The two young girls' perspectives what was going on in Colombia in the 90s and how it affected them personally was incredibly enthralling. I felt very connected to the characters, and spent a lot of time thinking about what they were going through. An Incredible story.

a beautifully compelling story

The narration of this book is superb and the story itself is devastatingly beautiful. We hear about this history through snippets in pop culture and while watching the news, but this book really brings to life what it must have been like to have lived through it. The news programme I watch often presents the FARC in an understanding light - as freedom fighters, really. This book has caused me to reconsider my position on the matter. That is, I can see both sides now and it's much more understandable that so many Colombians do not want to forgive and forget. Those who claim this book is boring may be more the type who are drawn to action-adventure storylines rather than finely drawn, nuanced novels.