August 2020
Gorilas en el techo
by Karake, Karen
That afternoon a teacher shouted: Gorillas on the roof! Karen didn't know whether to cry or run; nor did she know that her life was about to crumble like bread crumbs. Soon after, her parents announced that the family was moving. Whaaaat? Her hair stood on end. Leaving school, friends, grandparents and her beloved Guatemala was much worse than if ten apes had jumped on her. But Karen's real tragedy begins when she arrives in another country that she can't even locate on a map, thousands of miles away from her own, with a language that not even Dad understands and, as if that weren't enough, with new classmates who look at her like a freak. She has two options: to lock herself in her shell or to go out and squeeze the lemons that life offers her. With a spontaneous, sharp, funny and agile language, the protagonist tells us her adventures and misfortunes to adapt to Israel and her violent environment, because, although it seems a joke, they flee from Guatemala because of the violence and arrive to a country in war. However, Karen will also discover the surprise of the first kiss, the power of friendship and how wonderful life can be, even though it is not always free of pain. Gorillas on the Roof, immerses us with great talent and in a simple way in deep and sometimes complicated issues such as intolerance, violence, death, awakening to sexuality and hope for a peaceful world where we all fit
