The real-life romance stories are often full of twists and turns, and this book is no exception, especially when it comes to the relationship of Mayra Isabel with Jose Maran in Albay. What is all the more interesting, however, is that the two girls who have a very different Nationality (Spanish and Mexican) find themselves drawn into each other. Mayra is the older of the two, with a professional and cultured way of living while working in the bank in Albay and Jose is young, with no education and a reckless abandon that often lands him in trouble with the law. The two barely know each other but meet on a Friday night in a bar and end up falling in love, only to break up the next day. In a few short weeks they are married, and two more children follow. When their youngest child falls ill, Jose goes to the United States on an exchange of workers, leaving Mayra in charge of looking after her daughter.
One of the themes running through most of the novel is dissatisfaction at home, where Jose’s dual nationality (he is Mexican, she is American) and professional status conflict has a devastating effect on his mental health. Mayra, meanwhile, is slightly more settled down in her career. She accepts an offer of a job in New York City in the employ of a rich man, but what she does not realize is that her husband has another wife, Lucinda, who has an almost jealous passion for Jose. When Jose falls ill, Mayra goes to work in his absence but soon falls in love with a younger man named Carlos, whom she also does not recognize. As their relationship develops, both women come to realize the depth of their love and devotion for each other.
There are many themes running throughout the novel, and although I would not classify it as a romance in the conventional sense, I do feel that its focus on dual nationalities, and the lives of those under a certain age in America helped to build some of the characters. For me though, the real strength of the book came from the way in which Mayra and Jose, and especially Carlos, were able to overcome so much of their resentment, and pain, for being regarded as foreigners by their own families. For me this was the true strength of the story.