In the Club 03/03/21

Is anyone surprised that this is the first book on my list? It’s almost cheating to include it since there is, in fact, a Hulu series in the works. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to see those opening scenes in 1950s Mexico City, that creepy ass house in the countryside, the entire <insert spoilers and swear words here> situation, and the fashion!! My brain immediately pictured Nazanin Mandi as Noemi from the first time I saw the cover, but I’ll be happy as long as they cast a Latina with beautiful brown skin.

Book Club Bonus: Gothic horror tropes! Which ones did you pick up on and how does this book both employ them and flip the script?

The success of Bridgerton has reminded me how much I enjoy a historical romance with lots of drama, and what I wouldn’t give to see it done with Latinx flair. Enter the books from Lydia San Andres’ Arroyo Blanco series, which are set in a fictional island in the Spanish Caribbean. Emilia Cruz is a romance author in secret; she puts out some seriously steamy content under an assumed name because judgy society folk gon’ judge. Ruben Torres, the darling of the literary world, is moonlighting as the literary critic of a gossip paper, but he’s also doing that in secret because, ya know, all of that is beneath him. Emilia and Ruben are thrown together in a hilarious meet-not-so-cute (a boating party + a capsized boat), and it’s not long before they feel an undeniable attraction to one another. The problem is, Ruben has been absolutely eviscerating Emilia’s serial in that gossip mag, and neither one of them knows about the other’s secret identity.

Book Club Bonus: One might argue that telenovelas already exist, and trust: I got my life from those growing up (where my Amor Real fans at?!). But Adult Me wants a version of those with less sexism and colorism, more sex positivity, and less problematic themes overall. If you’re familiar with the telenovela scene, discuss how an adaptation like this one could be part of a larger course correction (which we’re already seeing hints of, praise be). Otherwise, go for the obvious meta theme: the belittling of romance and erotica in literature.

My kingdom for this adaptation! Renata is a memory thief who was kidnapped as a child and brought to the palace of Andalucia where she was forced to use her powers to kill thousands and thousands of people. Years later, she’s been rescued by the Whispers, a group of rebel spies working against the crown who don’t entirely trust Renata given her dark past. When Dez—the commander of her unit and the object of Renata’s affection—is taken captive by the (truly hateful, awful, no good, very bad) evil prince, Renata must return to the palace to complete Dez’ top secret mission. But doing so stirs up a lot of old stuff and reveals a secret from her past that could change everything. The whole thing is set in a lush, magical world inspired by Inquisition Spain and had me yelling, “Oh no she did not!” real early on.

Book Club Bonus: Inquisition-era Spain was a scary place for so many people, leading to the cruel and senseless deaths and forced conversion of Jewish and Muslim people. Discuss the parallels you see here and how this sort of oppression is one that rears its head both constantly and cyclically throughout history. Then discuss the role of present day youth in activism, from climate change to social justice. The last few years have made me acutely aware of the hypocrisy of a society that devours stories of rebellion against oppressive forces like this one while also discrediting these kinds of movements in real life. There’s a lot to get into there.

Who doesn’t want a thrilling space opera with a super prickly spaceship captain of Cuban descent who swears a ton PLUS CATS? Who, I ask you!? This book follows Eva Innocente, captain of La Sirena Negra, a cargo ship that ferries goods across the universe. When a shady corporation kidnaps her sister and demands the mother of all ransoms, Eva spirals into a web of lies and deception, alienating her beloved crew as she tries to raise the funds. This book is so damn hilarious and would be super fun to see on screen; move over Baby Yodita, here come the space gatos!

Book Club Bonus: Talk about the importance of found family in this book and as it applies in real life. Also take turns assessing what you would do in Eva’s shoes. It’s not an easy answer for most!