School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Seventeen-year-old Manny has been unhoused and traveling California for a year, ever since he was cast out of his deeply religious family. A Latinx-cued, queer adoptee, Manny has experienced multiple forms of trauma from previous foster families, but his last family, the Sullivans, are deeply devoted to televangelist Deacon Thompson. Thompson encourages white couples to adopt and "save" children of color. Manny and his biological sister Elena are quickly sent to Reconciliation, a religious camp that uses conversion style therapies to "re-educate" the adopted children. When Manny is unable to be "saved," he is cast out and separated from Elena. With the help of the Varela family, Manny begins to process his trauma and sets out to reunite with his sister. Oshiro uses an intentional nonlinear time line to build suspense and slowly reveal the mystery of the plot and an interesting twist. However, the strength of the story is the horrific realism and exploration of corrupted religious institutions, the broken foster care system, and the survivors that escape. There are depictions of neglect, religious abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, racialized violence, and homophobia. VERDICT A realistic, sometimes horrifying depiction of religious trauma. Recommended for readers who enjoy the works of Courtney Summers and Tiffany D. Jackson.--Kaetlyn Phillips
Publisher's Weekly Review
Via a deliberately plotted, nonlinear timeline, this potent speculative thriller from Oshiro (Each of Us a Desert) builds a harrowing image of a queer adoptee navigating religious trauma while combatting white saviorism. Seventeen-year-old Latinx-cued Manny and his older sister Elena don't remember a time when they weren't in foster care, until they are unexpectedly adopted by the white hyper-religious Sullivan family. But for unknown reasons, Manny is immediately sent off to--then subsequently kicked out of--Reconciliation, a religious camp run by a televangelist, and has been hitchhiking through California looking for Elena ever since. He's soon rescued by the Varelas, a nomadic Mexican family comprising kind former pastors Monica and Ricardo and their charming adoptive son Carlos, who reveal that religious trauma impels their own travels. After learning that a body that might be Elena's has been found outside Reconciliation, Manny and the Varelas embark toward the compound. Oshiro persuasively cultivates suspense through Manny's evasive flashbacks to his time back in Reconciliation, interspersed with scenes from the perspective of Eli, another camp participant. While retaining space for authentic representations of faith and spirituality, this breathtaking indictment of corrupted religion's consequences presents a standout, deeply felt portrait of a teenager's longing for connection. Ages 13--up. Agent: DongWon Song, Howard Morhaim Literary. (Mar.)