The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy

The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico

by Sarah McCoy

Shaye Areheart Books

August 2009

Summary: It is 1961 and Puerto Rico is trapped in a tug-of-war between those who want to stay connected to the United States and those who are fighting for independence. For eleven-year-old Verdita Ortiz-Santiago, the struggle for independence is a battle fought much closer to home.

Verdita has always been safe and secure in her sleepy mountain town, far from the excitement of the capital city of San Juan or the glittering shores of the United States, where her older cousin lives. She will be a señorita soon, which, as her mother reminds her, means that she will be expected to cook and clean, go to Mass every day, choose arroz con pollo over hamburguesas, and give up her love for Elvis. And yet, as much as Verdita longs to escape this seemingly inevitable future and become a blond American bombshell, she is still a young girl who is scared by late-night stories of the chupacabra, who wishes her mother would still rub her back and sing her a lullaby, and who is both ashamed and exhilarated by her changing body.

Told in luminous prose spanning two years in Verdita’s life, The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico is much more than a story about getting older. In the tradition of The House on Mango Street and Annie John, it is about the struggle to break free from the people who have raised us, and about the difficulties of leaving behind one’s homeland for places unknown. At times joyous and at times heartbreaking, Verdita’s story is of a young girl discovering her power and finding the strength to decide what sort of woman she’ll become.

The Time it Snowed in Puerto Ricois a lyrical, coming-of-age story that is written with gorgeous prose and so beautifully captures a specific time and place. I was completely absorbed by the author’s descriptions of each detail of her character’s lives. When I learned that this is the author’s first novel, I was amazed! The pacing and flow of the story along with the author’s ability to create such real and authentic characters is something I expect from a seasoned writer. It is a rare thing to read such an authentic voice. The themes and experiences written about in this novel are so universal, the loss of innocence, growing up in a tumultous time, etc., that I can see this book appealing to a very wide audience. It would make a fantastic book club selection. Verdita, the main character, experiences so many poignant moments throughout the novel that are beautifully and subtly captured by Sarah McCoy’s effortless writing.  I can’t wait to follow this talented author’s career.