2.5 rounded up because it had promise.

I'm having trouble rating middle of the road books these days and this is one of them. There's nothing terribly offensive about this book but nothing leapt off the pages and grabbed me either. So basically it was ineffective in stirring any emotions in me at all.

Here's the set up: Rose and Elmer live in an isolated home in the Mexican desert with their beautiful daughters, all named after flowers. Cut off from civilization they are free to create any life that they want for their family. They also harbour secrets that will stay that way so long as they remain cut off from the rest of the world.

One day a young hiker comes walking up out of the desert seemingly looking for conversation and something cold to drink. The girls are excited to meet someone new and 16 year old Iris is smitten. But his questions are bold and he is much more curious than Rose and Elmer are comfortable with. He has his own secret and as the story unfolds we find that their paths are inextricably linked and we must question what a "family" really is.

I understand that from that description you'd be well intrigued... As was I, my friend. And I assumed shit would get dangerous, creepy, bloody, emotional, suspenseful... Any combination of those would have worked. Hell, any ONE of those would have done me.

Saldy, though, none of that ( )

This book I read in Kindle. And it was one of the best books I've read in a very long time! ( )

Elmer y Rose han creado una familia perfecta entre los enormes cactus de un remoto paisaje desértico, un hogar lleno de amor para sus cinco hijas, todas con nombres de flor: Edelweiss, Iris, Melissa, Dahlia y Daisy.
Pero la inesperada llegada de Rick, un excursionista en busca de refugio, revoluciona a las hermanas. Y cuando Elmer y Rose descubren que el muchacho no es quien dice ser, el enfrentamiento que librarán -una lucha entre la verdad y la mentira, la justicia y el crimen- destapará terribles secretos que cambiarán para siempre la vida de todos ellos

While the book did not meet my expectations, I don't regret reading it. After reading the blurb, I was expecting kind of like a thriller or mystery story, but this was more like a family/coming-of-age drama.

The plot was interesting, but not exactly overwhelming. However, I absolutely LOVED the writing, which totally made up for every flaw I found, like the totally ridiculous and unbelievable older sister that really got on my nerves or some non-credible plot twists that seemed too constructed.
But. Each time I started worrying about such things, I lost myself in the writing (again) and then didn't bother at all... I guess my favorite parts actually were those where nothing much happened, like the vivid descriptions of the desert or the quiet 'everyday' moments.

So while the story was OK, the real strength of the book is the incredibly beautiful writing - thanks not only to the author, but also to the great translation by Simon Bruni.

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own) ( )