Jenny Torres Sanchez provides a heartbreaking story, set in the 1990s, that is definitely worth the read. It focuses on a 16 year old girl, Emilia, who suffers from PTSD, years after her brutal attack. Sanchez includes different perspectives from several of Emilia’s loved ones. Demonstrating an issue such as assault, can have an impact on the people closest to the victim. She includes interesting storylines and conflicts for other characters, that contribute to the overall greatness of the story. Such as, including Emilia’s relationship, that provides bittersweet moments to a very tragic story. Along with including inner conflicts a character may face, when questioning their gender identity. The content material may be intense, but it provides real insight to lives of several alike to Emilia. The novel brings attention to the harm one can do to themselves, if they withhold all of their dark thoughts. And how certain events, such as the one Emilia endured, have the ability to shape our entire lives. From start to finish, I was unable to predict what would come next. Which makes the book so difficult to put down. However, at some points you may need to slow down, in order to fully understand what is happening. Since Emilia’s thought process may be difficult to follow at times. The author does include different sections to portray when time has passed. But, it occurred at moments I didn’t feel was necessary, or helpful.
About This Book
The Lovely Bones meets Thirteen Reasons Why in this gorgeous, haunting, and tragic novel that examines the crippling--and far-reaching--effects of one person's trauma on her family, her community, and herself.
Reviews
Anonymous
The Fall of Innocence
Anonymous
The Fall of Innocence
The Fall of Innocence, by Jenny Torres Sanchez, maps the human mind in a heartbreaking way with its vivid prose, surreal imagery, and touching narration. Although I’m usually not a fan of alternating third-person perspectives, I think it was not only effective but necessary in this book to convey the full scope of Emilia’s trauma and how it affects others. The characters are raw and vividly human, each with their own personal baggage that they have to manage along with Emilia’s. Emilia herself is incredibly well written; readers feel her pain, the longing and hurt in each of her fantasies, with every word. As someone who loves magical realism, the prose in this novel took my breath away. As a result of her PTSD, Emilia’s delusions occupy her daily life. For example, she finds that she can relate to birds more than human beings, and as a kind of warped coping mechanism, imagines herself as one. These fantasies are integrated into the narration into an effortless way and give it a surreal quality. But more importantly, it is an example of how trauma can continue to hijack our daily lives years after the tragedy occurs. This book is impossible to put down, despite the fact that it stifles any sense of hope readers may have had upon reading it. It is a stunning story of grief, loss, and “the true fragility of human nature.” I believe it deserves 5 out of 5 stars.
Anonymous
The Fall of Innocence
The Fall of Innocence by Jenny Torres Sanchez follows the emotional development of the protagonist, Emilia, who suffered a traumatic attack in her early childhood, and the process by which she and her loved ones come to terms with it. Sanchez was highly successful in delivering a work of literature that is both emotionally investing and tactfully laid out. She handles very well her motifs and symbols, especially the ones that act as a foil to each other (the stuffed squirrel from her father and the decomposed bird from her brother, for example). Furthermore, by ensuring that most of the conflict is between the main characters (or themselves), she is able to develop them to a stunning degree. I will admit, however, that Tomás’ internal conflict with his own identity when he puts on the lipstick seemed somewhat out of place in the novel focused primarily on Emilia and her conflict involving her traumatic event. However, this is but a minor issue in the profound, well composed novel that Sanchez has synthesized. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anybody who would want to have a glimpse into the lives of those affected by external trauma.
