"The Queens of Sarmiento Park" by Camila Sosa Villada

"We keep to ourselves, a small pack of wandering the margins of the world. We save money and give it to them, the same people who eat us up every night. It's possible that these feasts are the result of our isolation."

Themes: Found Family; Intimacy; Appearance; Beauty Standards; Motherhood; Belonging; Gender

Discussion Questions

1. How do you interpret the name "Twinkle In Her Eye"? Why did Auntie Encarna name the baby boy this?

2. How does the tone of the book change after Auntie Encarna adopts the baby?

3. In what ways does Auntie Encarna's boarding home protect Camila and the others? How does it make them vulnerable?

4. How does Sosa Villada explore the motif of freedom in this book?

5. Where does Camila find tenderness?

6. How does Sosa Villada balance the brutality of what the characters experience with the fantastical that they experience?

7. What did you think about Maria, the mute character? What did you think about her transition? Did you expect it? Why did Sosa Villada choose for Maria to become a bird (as opposed to another animal)?

8. How did you react to the end of the book? Did you think it was the correct ending?