Reading Response: Sabrina and Corina
Reading response for Sabrina and Corina, by Kali Fajardo-Anstine. Fajardo-Anstine’s book is a collection of short stories that take place in Denver and sometimes span to further parts of Colorado.
What stood out to me most in the stories was that they all had undertones of sadness and hardship. While that was not always the central themes of the stories, there was usually a presence, nonetheless. Often there was mention of death, illness, murder, abuse, neglect, alcoholism, drug addiction, and financial hardships. These stories reflect on the complicated and tragic lives of Fajardo-Anstine’s characters.
Her central characters are primarily children where, in quite a few of the stories, at least one of the characters is navigating their early life without a present father. I felt empathy for the young characters in these stories and the big life challenges that they had to face at such an early age.
What I enjoyed most in these stories was the cultural aspect - not only of being Indigenous and Latino / Latina heritage, but also of being native Coloradans who have witnessed and fell victim to the gentrification of Denver, and who have also endured the changing face of Colorado.
