The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreu (review)

M. T. isn’t like the other girls in her posh Catholic school: her family is from Argentina, and they are undocumented, so she believes that her chances for education end with high school. Her father is depressed and abusive, forced to cobble together low-wage jobs after his business partner betrayed him, a dismal situation exacerbated by his cultural insistence that her mother not work. M. T. is becoming increasingly desperate and depressed herself; her secret weighs heavily on her, and she believes that even the love she has found with a kind boy is doomed once he learns that she is not who he thinks she is. She contemplates suicide, and a well-meaning friend reports her to the police, setting off a chain of events that eventually lead to her leaving home, just in time for the DREAM Act to open a future she didn’t think possible. This is certainly a timely and important topic, and Andreu has experienced what it was like to be undocumented in the only country she considers home. The autobiographical element gives some retrospective flavor to the situation that sometimes contradicts the contemporary setting, but the book effectively generates empathy for the plight of the undocumented as well as the abused by giving voice and dimension to M. T. She is a complex character, by turns cruel to her mother, loving to her little brother, petulant with her boyfriend, and strong in facing down a father who expresses his frustration by using his fists. While her situation is not necessarily typical, the feelings that accompany it deserve an airing and can open discussions about and beyond immigration, stretching to any teen who feels as if his or her circumstances offer little hope for the future. Resources for suicide prevention and domestic violence are included.