Title: Tell Me Something True
Author: Leila Cobo
ISBN: 9780446519366
Pages: 320
Release Date: October 1, 2009
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Multicultural Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Gabriella has been returning to her mother's home country of Colombia every year since her mother died in a plane crash.  She leaves behind her movie producer father and her home in sunny California in order to spend a few weeks with her grandmother.  She uses this time to remember her mother, Helena, properly.  However, this trip is different - this time, Gabriella stumbles upon secrets about her mother's life that lead her to question everything she thought she knew about her.  With the help of Angel, a beautiful boy with a questionable past, Gabriella tries to understand the choices her mother made and to figure out what it means to be Helena's daughter.

Review:

Tell Me Something True is a thoroughly interesting look into modern day Colombia.  Though it never delves too far underneath the surface, it paints a picture of the dichotomy that exists with its society and the conflict between the ordinary people and the drug-filled reputations of Colombians.

The best part of Tell Me Something True is the self-introspection, the idea that you don’t have to be what other people expect you to.  Angel shows the reader that you can rise up above the examples others have set for you.  You can become something more.  Helena and Gabriella both demonstrate how important it is to follow your heart.  At the same time, it’s also important to own up to your mistakes and face what you have done.  It’s not possible to simply run away from your problems.

Gabriella was a well-written character that I really enjoyed getting to know.  She was impulsive at times, and could be very stubborn, yet she never annoyed me.  I thought she was incredibly true to life.  In some ways she was naive, yet that only added to her wonderful character.  She trusted where others wouldn’t, which was a strength rather than a weakness.

Though Tell Me Something True was enjoyable and easy to read, I felt like there was something missing from the book.  I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly it was, but I thought I should just mention it!

Still Tell Me Something True is definitely a book worth reading.  This is a great novel about coming to terms with your past and understand what effect it has, and doesn’t have, on your future.  I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about modern day Colombia or those who enjoy character driven novels with a lot of self-evaluation.