Esperanza's Box of Saints: A Novel [Paperback]

Maria Amparo Escandon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 1999

Esperanza's Box of Saints is a magical, humorous, and passion-filled odyssey about a beautiful young widow's search for her missing child -- a mission that takes her from a humble Mexican village to the rowdy brothels of Tijuana and a rarely seen side of Los Angeles. Rescued from turmoil by her favorite saint, Esperanza embarks on a journey that tests her faith, teaches her the ways of the world, and transforms her from a fervently religious innocent to an independent, sexual, and passionately devout woman.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Where Latin American fiction is concerned, miracles happen every day. Indeed, upon opening a novel written by a Mexican, Chilean, Colombian, or Cuban author, one is slightly disappointed if at least three impossible things don't happen before the opening chapter is over. María Amparo Escandón's first novel fulfills this expectation on its first page when Esperanza Díaz tells her parish priest that San Judas Tadeo appeared to her in her oven window:

He floated toward me, like a piñata dangling from a rope. The grease drippings shone like amber. He looked directly into my eyes. He was so beautiful. His hair was blond and a little curly. He had a beard, just like Jesus Christ. He said, "Your daughter is not dead."

This is a miracle indeed, since Esperanza, a young widow, has recently lost her 12-year-old daughter during a routine tonsillectomy. But when the saint appears to her with his glad tidings, the bereaved mother begins to wonder if her daughter might not have been spirited away by unscrupulous doctors and sold into white slavery. Determined to reclaim her child, Esperanza hits the road, embarking on a picaresque journey that will take her from her little Mexican town to the brothels of Tijuana and eventually to Los Angeles. Along the way she meets a variety of colorful characters including a professional wrestler who just may be the man to change our heroine's mind about never marrying again.

If at times Escandón's blithe tale seems tailor-made for movies, that's because it is. In addition to writing both English and Spanish versions of the novel, she has also authored the screenplay for Esperanza's film debut. In the case of Esperanza's Box of Saints, the cinematic touches nicely complement the book's larger-than-life characters, from best friend and fellow-widow Soledad, or poor Father Salvador, the hapless recipient of Esperanza's occasionally X-rated confessions, to Angel, the keeper of her heart. All in all, this is a book guaranteed to charm and amuse. --Alix Wilber

From Publishers Weekly

Mexican-American author Escandon offers an engaging, simply written novel that traces a woman's search for her beloved 12-year-old daughter. The tale begins with a miracle: on the day of her daughter's funeral, grief-stricken Esperanza Diaz is preparing pollo al chipotle for the funeral guests when San Judas Tadeo, the saint of desperate cases, appears in her grimy oven window "like a pi?ata dangling from a rope" to tell her that Blanca, who supposedly succumbed to an infection in the hospital after a tonsillectomy, is not dead. Esperanza immediately sets out on a dangerous, sometimes hilarious search for her lost child, leading the reader into a vibrant fictional realm. Esperanza's world is one in which a woman's skin tastes like tamarind candy, in which the statue of a saint glows and smells like lilacs and in which Esperanza's religious devotion has an aphrodisiac effect on the men she encounters. Despite the protests of her old friend Soledad and the concerns of her priest, who is disturbed by his intense attraction to her, Esperanza becomes convinced that Blanca was kidnapped by a doctor at the hospital and was forced into child prostitution. Esperanza's search takes her from a local brothel to Tijuana and then to Los Angeles; along the way, she encounters such zany characters as the eccentric, elderly Dona Trini, owner of a high-class brothel and keeper of a peculiar secret; the rich, lonely American Mr. Haynes, who pays Esperanza for nights of lullabies and conversation; Vicenza, a tough-talking businesswoman and die-hard wrestling fan; and, finally, the very human El Angel Justiciero, a professional wrestler with wings and a mask, who lands at Esperanza's feet and changes her life. Recounted alternately in first and third person, through her confessions, Blanca's diary and the prayers of the priest, Esperanza's charming journey, with its surprising conclusion, leads her out of grief into self-knowledge and reveals that the path of faith is often anything but straight and narrow. (Jan.) FYI: The novel is based on Escandon's Spanish-language screenplay, which has been bought by John Sayles.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (January 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068485614X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684856148
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #967,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Colorful, Magical Tale of Love with a Mexican Soul, October 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Esperanza's Box of Saints: A Novel (Paperback)

We chose this book for our book group and everyone just loved it. From the very first chapter it grabbed our imaginations, but more importantly, Esperanza grabbed our hearts. She was such a charming character, full of innocence and yet wise beyond her years. The author painted such vivid pictures with words and you could almost feel the heat of the locations, hear the lilt of Spanish being spoken. I personally hated to finish the book because I had grown to love the unfolding of Esperanza's journey - both literally and figuratively. What delightful surprises and twists of fate! Maria Amparo Escandon is such an original and compassionate writer who captured the true spirit of her character, Esperanza. I found myself laughing, even while feeling sad. It was probably the most enjoyable book I've read in years. Our book group discussion was so animated and we had trouble ending the conversation about the story, the characters and how close we felt to Esperanza. We are praying (to Esperanza's saints) that Senora Escandon will treat us to another book very soon!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Put away the oven cleaner, there's magic in that grime., March 13, 2006

By 

M. S. Handley (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Esperanzas Box of Saints (Paperback)

"Esperanza's Box of Saints" is a sweet, poignant story. The plot is fast-based as it follows Esperanza across Mexico and into the US as she searches for her daughter who she believes has been kidnapped and sold into prostitution.

The novel is billed as being in the magical realism vein, but those elements are very subtle. There are brief episodes of Esperanza's saints talking to her or otherwise giving her signs, and there is the sense that she is somehow protected, or charmed, as she is able to remain relatively unscathed while undergoing some potentially dangerous or degrading experiences. Otherwise, the story seems very grounded in an everyday world which is pious, sordid, beautiful, and freaky.

For me, the main thing that kept the book from achieving 5 stars is that the characters throughout are fairly superficial - which is something that is common to most "picaresque" novels. Even Esperanza, who undergoes some life-altering events, doesn't really experience any character development since she doesn't take time to reflect on what is happening to her even during her confessions to her priest. Actually, I felt that the priest was the most complex, and even compelling, character of the story and was a little disappointed that there weren't more interactions between him and Esperanza, or at least that there wasn't more depth to the interactions they did have.

One of the strengths of the novel are the descriptive narratives. Ms. Escandon really brings to life the world Esperanza inhabits, from the tropical sights and smells of Veracruz, to the barrenness of Tijuana, to the weirdness of LA. If you read this book you'll never be able to look at dirty ovens or rust stains, or smell tamarinds, in the same way again.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What a trip! With San Judas Tadeo to assist..., November 11, 2001

By 

R. Peterson "International citizen" (Leverett, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Esperanza's Box of Saints: A Novel (Paperback)

Our funny little tale begins when a young recently widowed mother loses her 12 year old daughter during a routine operation. Esperanza lives with Soledad (both of whom have lost their husbands in the same bus accident) and Esperanza's daughter, Blanca - of course the most beautiful, sweet girl in the village. After Blanca dies, Esperanza swears to her local priest that San Judas Tadeo has appeared to her on her greasy oven window to let her know that Blanca is not really dead! Esperanza, much to the chagrin of both her priest and her friend Soledad, take off to `track' down Blanca - whom she believes has been kidnapped (by the doctors who can't be trusted) and forced to be a prostitute.  Her journey takes her north through Mexico, to Tijuana, and even up into Los Angeles where she finds something completely unexpected. The story is a very fun read and absolutely and completely unbelievable. Esperanza is helped by people who are not the helping kind, and she is cared for and also very lucky in her escapades. She meets the strangest characters including pimps, prostitutes, madams, and a very handsome professional wrestler.  Probably the funniest parts of the book are the missives that Esperanza sends back to Father Salvador (her local priest) who seems beside himself with her wanderings and in constant fear that something horrible will befall her. Again, this is not literature by any stretch - but if you enjoy the Latin spirits in your writing and you want a light-hearted book for a change - this one is a good one to choose.