Erika L. Sánchez: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Today at Los Angeles Review of Books, Daniel Olivas reminds us what a year it has been for poet and fiction writer Erika L. Sánchez, whose debut novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter was named a finalist for the National Book Awards in the Young People's Literature category. By way of an introduction to their conversation, Olivas writes, "The novel has earned praise, including a starred review from School Library Journal, which called it 'a timely and must-have account of survival in a culturally contentious world.'" Sounds like a great place to pick up. We'll take the first question and answer and let you head over to LARB to read on:

DANIEL A. OLIVAS: You begin your novel with a powerful and daring scene where your main character, Julia, is viewing her late sister’s body laid out in a casket. How did you decide to start your narrative in this way?

ERIKA L. SÁNCHEZ: The novel didn’t always begin that way. It’s seen several versions. But I ultimately decided to begin with Olga’s wake because I wanted the reader to be immediately placed in the thick of the family’s grief. Olga’s death is what sets off Julia’s journey. It was also important to me to be upfront about what kind of protagonist Julia was going to be — a snarky teenager who is angry and vulnerable. She’s devastated by the loss of her sister and doesn’t know how to cope. Sometimes she says unkind things because she is in so much pain. Julia is the kind of girl who will say exactly what she feels, and I hope that readers become intrigued by that, particularly young women of color. We’re rarely allowed to be flawed in literature, and I’m so tired of that.