The intriguing cover shows clearly the two levels in which the story takes places—the everyday necessities of life and the inner quest of who Daniella really is inside. I really appreciated the quick pace of the story, kooky characters and the continual revelations that occur throughout.
Reviewed by Sheri Harper
Sunstruck
by Mayra Calvani
Zumaya Publications
http://www.zumayapublications.com
ISBN: 978-1-934841-18-1, Paperback: 236 pages, March 2009
Sunstruck by Mayra Calvani portrays the familiar saga of chick-lit college days in an original way that explores many of the cultural aspects of growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Heroine Daniella must fight past apathy to keep her mind on her future while facing an increasingly complex personal situation. Daniella is a very human character; she makes mistakes and must face the consequences of her own actions yet manages to preserve her hope in the future and connection with her family and friends.
The world Daniella lives in has no black and white moral answers. Many times she has to weigh the benefits of a situation such as the use of recreational drugs against her own desire for success. She chooses to act on the understanding she gained in her first marriage when she slowly became aware that her pot smoking days of living with her artist husband had led her into a nowhere life.
Now Daniella is enrolled in an architecture program at the university but she’s fallen for another talented artist Tony whose use of LSD keeps her awake at night. Events leading to the discovery of a vicious killer and a kook dressed like Zorro who attacks women start when Daniella’s former husband invites her to a memorial party for his departed mother. Ex-husband Ishmael is still a friend and remarried an older woman of wealth named Irene. Soon Daniella and Tony’s lives are enmeshed with Ishmael’s and Irene’s.
Side stories follow Daniella’s relationship with her mother and with a communist friend in love with a priest. Religion is not far from the storyline since the belief in good and evil and superstition veers its head when the unusual occurs. The setting of the book wanders from the beach to the jungle into seafood restaurants and explores Puerto Rican culture and foods. Reading this book is like vacationing with a friend who lives there.
The story is told in a chatty style intermixed with journal entries that reveal Daniella’s inner turmoil. Overall, it’s a good book. The intriguing cover shows clearly the two levels in which the story takes places—the everyday necessities of life and the inner quest of who Daniella really is inside. I really appreciated the quick pace of the story, kooky characters and the continual revelations that occur throughout.
About the reviewer: Sheri Fresonke Harper is a poet and writer. She's been published in many small journals and is working on her second science fiction novel. See www.sfharper.com
The intriguing cover shows clearly the two levels in which the story takes places—the everyday necessities of life and the inner quest of who Daniella really is inside. I really appreciated the quick pace of the story, kooky characters and the continual revelations that occur throughout.
