Five sisters, cinco hermanitas, are swimming where they shouldn't. They love this little spot in the river, though, where the water bubbles up into a little alcove. They've snuck to this spot many times before, but today, there is a body floating in their playground. They are afraid to call the police, for fear of getting in trouble for being there in the first place. They drag him out, find his wallet, and see that he lives across the border in Mexico, very near their abuelita, their father's mother. Their papa, a once popular Tejano singer, has left them with no explanation. This body has given them an excuse to make a journey to Mexico to find their abuelita, and maybe their papa.
Odilia, the oldest, has the first of many mystical encounters with La Llorona, just before they leave. She gives Odilia some cryptic advice and a magical earring, and the girls, dead body in tow, are on their way to Mexico. (La Llorona, by the way, is a famous Mexican folktale. Many others are sprinkled throughout the story, like Chupacabra, etc.)
This is a retelling of The Odyssey, which, to be fair, is not one of my favorite stories in the first place. I found it hard to believe that five little girls would ride to Mexico with a dead body propped up in the car next to them, and while I realize I'm supposed to suspend my disbelief a little bit here, I just couldn't get past it. The story of the sisters and their falling-apart family was the best part of the book, but unfortunately, so much more time was spent on the mystical elements, which just weren't as interesting to me.
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