57 pages • 1 hour read
Ingrid Rojas ContrerasFruit of the Drunken Tree
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras is a semi-autobiographical novel set in late 1980s and early 1990s Bogotá, following the friendship of young Chula Santiago and her family's maid, Petrona Sanchez, amidst Colombia's violent unrest. As Petrona is coerced into criminal activities, she ultimately chooses to protect Chula, leading to significant consequences for both. Themes of violence, displacement, and coercion are present.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Ingrid Rojas Contreras’ Fruit of the Drunken Tree has been praised for its evocative prose and rich portrayal of 1990s Colombia. The novel’s strengths include strong character development and vivid settings. Criticisms involve a occasionally slow pacing and some predictability in plot twists. Overall, it's a compelling debut that resonates emotionally.
Who Should Read Fruit of the Drunken Tree?
Readers who appreciate richly detailed, character-driven narratives set against politically charged backdrops will enjoy Ingrid Rojas Contreras’s Fruit of the Drunken Tree. Fans of Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits or Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude will find a similar blend of personal and historical storytelling.
RecommendedReading Age
18+yearsLexile Level
890L