The story open with Mara working as a caregiver to a woman with stomach cancer. The novel than travel back in time, to Rio De Janiero in the 1980's, a very fraught political time in that country. Mara's mother will do anything to take care of her daughter, and this leads her into a dangerous situation, one with huge implications.

A touching mother, daughter tale, and one that shows how the political can affect our lives, and not always for the better. Brazil is a country I have read very little about, and this novel does a good job of showing the different faces this country presents. Mardi Gras with all the glam and glitter, beaches that look beautiful unless you look too closely. The struggles under the rule of a dictatorship, the brutality of a police chief who uses torture to elicit information about the resistance. A story written with a great deal of compassion, with a few twists I didn't see coming.

It seems way to often that I pick up a book about another country and find traces of my countrys involvement in a way detrimental to that country. Very awakening politically. Marax journey is an interesting one, how she comes to the United States and her hopes for the future. The authors own life takes a devastating turn, one mimiced in condition of one of these characters. The note at book end explains. ( )

In the 1990s, Mara Alcenar is living in California and working as a caregiver for a woman who suffers from cancer. She has been in the US for many years, illegally like so many others and always struggling to survive and hoping not to be caught. Yet, going back to Brazil is not an option; it is just her thoughts that frequently return to her native country. She remembers the time when she was six and living with her mother Ana who worked in the film industry and dubbed foreign productions. She was also a great actor which lead her to a fatal decision: being offered a “role” by leftist rebels, Ana Alcenar couldn’t refuse. She needed the money for herself and Mara. But then, something went completely wrong at the Police Chief’s office. Years later, Mara is a teenager and gets the chance to revenge her mother – but is the episode as she remembers is actually the truth?

Samuel Park’s novel “The caregiver” focuses on two completely different aspects: on the one hand, he addresses political questions such as the military rulers of South America in the 20th century and the precarious situation of immigrants from these countries in the US. On the other hand, he has a very personal topic that the novel makes you think about: what do loving and caring mean and how far would you go for the ones you love?

For me, the parts of the novel that are set in Rio de Janeiro were the most impressive. The author really gives you a good idea of how life was like under those political circumstances and how important your personal bonds were to survive. The neighbour becomes crucial for survival, you find yourself quickly caught between the lines and even if you want to keep away from politics, this isn’t always possible. And there is not just black and white, but many shades of grey.

The question of what loving somebody means is also crucial in the novel. Not the love between lovers, but much more the compassion you feel towards family members and those close to you, how much you are willing to endure and even more importantly: how much you are willing to forgive and to forget.

A novel full of food for thought and at the same time wonderfully written. ( )

Ana and her little girl, Mara, take care of each other in their home in Copacabana, Brazil. Ana works as a voice-over actress but her job brings in little money. In desperation, she agrees to take a job posing as a citizen with information about student guerillas in an attempt to lure the violent Police Chief Lima from his post. Ana then makes a decision that tears their lives apart.

Years later when Mara comes to America undocumented, she takes a job as a caregiver to a woman, Kathryn, who is suffering from stomach cancer. Caring for Kathryn brings up memories of Mara’s mother and Mara struggles to come to terms with her past.

This is a beautifully written book about the relationship between a mother and daughter and what lengths a mother would be willing to go for her daughter. The characters are very well developed and the book is full of heart and compassion.

The author, Samuel Parks, passed away from stomach cancer shortly after writing this book. At the end of the book, his essay that was published in the New York Times is shared. It’s called “I Had a 9 Percent Chance, Plus Hope” and it’s a must read for all. After reading this book, I’m even more anxious to read “This Burns My Heart”.

Recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review. ( )

Samuel Park died of stomach cancer after finishing this book (and battling the cancer twice). And yes, one of the characters in this book has stomach cancer, and is young for it, just as he was. She is not the main character, however. Her caregiver is. Mara is from Brazil (as Park was, originally, though he grew up in LA). Mara left Brazil sometime after her mother's death, and caring for Kathryn has caused her to think more about her mother's life. She raised Mara alone in Copacabana, when Brazil was undergoing high inflation and political turmoil. She got involved with the rebels while trying earn extra money to pay the rent. She was not with the rebels or against the rebels, she was for herself and her daughter. After she became ill when Mara was a teen, Mara tried to learn more. Is what her mother told her the truth? As a caregiving adult, Mara can better understand the choices her mother made (and the choices she even had) when she had an 8-year-old to care for.
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How I wish Park were able to discuss this book (in interview or in print). I have so many questions. Did he get to finish it to his own satisfaction? How much of Mara's childhood experiences in Brazil were his own or his family's? Did he himself have a caregiver other than close family?
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There is an essay included in the back, by Park for the NY Times. It is heartbreaking. ( )