Publication Date: April 9, 2024
Page count: 347 pages
Val is a young Mexican-American quantum physicist and single mother struggling with an anxiety disorder and financial challenges. Her world is turned upside down when her ex-husband files for full custody of their three-year-old daughter to take her across the country where he was offered a job. The story unfolds as she decides either to stay put in Boston and meet job related deadlines or go on a holiday and visit her parents in Mexico.
Encouraged
by her father, Val flies to Mexico with Maya, her service dog, and Daisy, her
daughter, and she discovers a world of magic that will change her outlook on
life forever. She also reconnects with her childhood friend, Mercedes, who
gives her a glimmer of hope. Things, however, are not what they seem to be. As
all areas of her life begin to fall apart, Val must explore the power of her
intuition and make different choices to change the course of her and her
daughter’s futures.
Although she had to create a new home when she and Dad moved from Oaxaca to a suburb of Boston before I was born, she made sure that I would be well-prepared to pass on our family’s recipes to my children. My memories from elementary school are filled with rolling churros in cinnamon sugar, measuring out ingredients for our family’s secret mole recipe, and taking turns with Mom mixing sweet corn dough for tamales.
When I was in
middle school, she stood right next to me as I simmered the sweetened milk for
capirotada, the bread pudding my family ate every Easter, and nodded in
approval as the deep aroma of cinnamon sticks, brown sugar, and cloves filled
the air. The older I became, the more Mom expected from me in the kitchen, but
there was one thing that never changed throughout the years: whenever we cooked
and baked together, time stood still.
Although Dora was born in Budapest, Hungary, she lived in Mexico for five years during her early childhood. Her connection to the Mexican language, history, and cooking inspired the cultural setting for her debut novel, Choice.
After getting her doctorate from MIT, she published her first book, The Smart Way to Your Ph.D.” which paved the way for a six-figure consulting business while she was a stay-at-home mom with two daughters. She has given workshops about writing at MIT, Tufts, Boston University, the University of Connecticut, Ohio State University, the Scripps Research Institute, the University of Calgary, and the University of British Columbia.
Thank you so much for featuring CHOICE today.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a book I will thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. This sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteWhat challenges did you face while writing this book?
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really great read.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing an excerpt
ReplyDeleteSuch a striking cover and intriguing synopsis!
ReplyDeleteI really like the cover....
ReplyDelete