Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

Reviewed by Sam!

What I drank prior: Board game night = wine. Lots of wine.

Goodreads Overview:

An #ownvoices contemporary YA set in Argentina, about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams.

In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. 

At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. 

On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.

But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.

Drunk Overview: So this is a coming of age story, set in Argentina. Obviously when I saw it on the table at ALA I picked it up immediately because of my heritage and I will read/support anything put out by my people. Camilla loves loves soccer. But soccer is a boy’s sport. So she plays in secret against her parents’ wishes and her team made it to the finals! She’s got a lot going on at home, family-wise, and now she has to come up with the cash to go to the final where US college scouts will be. She wants to go to school in the states and she sees soccer as a way to get there. Her brother, in fact, plays for the local professional club. THen there’s Diego, a childhood friend who made it to a European professional team and that’s a BIG DEAL for Latin American players. So, Camilla is trying to make money for a tournament that she’s not supposed to be in so that she can reach her dreams while dealing with an old flame, an abusive household, and just plain Argentine poverty.

Spoiler-free Thoughts: Ok but… this book deals with some Real Shit in a way that’s not so over the top. There are trigger warnings for sexism, racism, domestic and sexual abuse, and severe poverty. With all of that, it’s just sort of part of her life, which is not to say that the book says just to deal with it, but that Camilla doesn’t know better really, and she has picked her battle, and that’s playing soccer. The rest is something she lives with every day.

Characters: So, we’ve talked a bit about Camilla. I think she’s one of the strongest YA characters I’ve ever read. She is fierce, she’s smart, she picks her battles (and picks them WELL, especially when it comes to when she picks them), and she doesn’t let frivolous shit get in her way. I like the brother, Pablo, a LOT. Another strong character who picks his battles well, they’re a lot alike in that way. Diego is alright, I think he’s a product of the culture and his upbringing and he gets over it in the end. The parents man… they’re… sheesh. They’re a lot. I’ll also talk about Roxana, the best friend. What an amazing human being.

Plot: This was very character driven. Coming of age. Learning to stand up for what you want. Learning to survive really shit circumstances and knowing when to say when.

Writing Style: OK so this, to me, was one of the best parts. It was a lot of Spanish thrown in there (without italics, which I loved), and it was a lot of things that felt so familiar. So comforting.

World Building: the last bit I’ll say is that this isn’t historical fiction. This is how Argentina is, still, to this day. So religious, so sexist, so racist (because they’re all white so there’s a lot of indigenous hate), and so so poor. Don’t forget that this is how a lot of the second world lives. We all know the first and third, but the second world is “developed” but still really REALLY poor.

What to pair it with: Fernett and Coke

Rating: 4/5 shots

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,
Sam