Recent Read: The Queen of Water

At age 7, Virginia, a poor indigenous girl from Ecuador, is taken from her Andean village to the city to work for an upper class family as a maid. Her life resembles that of a slave more than that of a maid. Her mistress beats her and insults her regularly, calling her racial slurs for be an indigena. She has no contact with her family and is told they don't want to see her. But she is determined to become educated and find a way out. In this true story of a stolen daughter, we follow Virginia as she learns to survive and overcome through education, intelligence, and perseverance.

In the Queen of Water, author Laura Resau succeeds in depicting so many complex aspects of Virginia's story--conflicting emotions, confused identity, a sort of Stockholm syndrome, and the cultural tensions within Ecuador. It's hard to read at times, but there are moments of humor and hope even in the darkest of times. I found the conflict Virginia faces as she tries to find her place in the world after being cut off from her family, raised in a mestizo (upper-class) home, and taught to revile her heritage compelling and heartbreaking. But Virginia is an incredible person--intelligent, ambitious, innovative, hard working, and always hopeful.

Resau explains how she met Maria Virginia Farninango and heard her story in the author's note. She says that despite the heartbreaking and sometimes disturbing nature of Farinango's experience, she told it with "laughter, spunk, and . . . heart-swelling triumph." I think Resau successfully captured those qualities in her narrative.

It's an inspiring book. And it's another one of those books that taught me about something I didn't even know happened (at least not as recently as the 80s!!). I appreciate books like this one that not only tell a good story, but educate me. Overall, I would highly recommend this because of the story alone.

This is not, however, a book for reluctant readers. It felt a little long in places. Even though it didn't feel like space was wasted, it probably could have been a bit tighter.

You can see photos of the real Maria Virginia (and see photos of Ecuador and hear stories of the author's experience there) here. Oh, and that cover photo is an ever-so-slightly altered photo of Maria Virginia herself!