Lisa Mauro's "The Place We Went Yesterday"

Title: A Personal Journey

“The Place We Went Yesterday” by Lisa Mauro

Reviewed by M. Windholtz

5/19/16

9:12 pm

Negative situations are hard to break free from, especially when one feels dependant upon their position. Such is life for sixteen-year-old Ella Santia, a Hispanic girl in New York City’s Lower East Side. She grows up in a crowded, abusive home and is unable to see a way out. Throughout the course of the novel, she transitions from her family to foster care, and later, she lives in a group home for girls in the system.

Author Lisa Mauro’s haunting dedication, “for all those who wish they had been forgotten,” perfectly grasps the words that so clearly and precisely describe the narrator’s circumstance, and those real people in abusive situations. The novel intersects Ella’s current situation with memories from her past, blending the past and present to highlight her intense emotional journey. Mauro uses careful storytelling to bring the deeply personal story to life. The slow reveal of the exact events that brought Ella into the system is tantalizing and leaves the reader flipping the pages to find out more.

Ella is focused on self-preservation, which often means staying forgotten and out of sight. The novel focuses much on her inner journey and troubles. The reader gets to know Ella inside and out, from her literary soul to the problems caused by her weight. Ella’s agency is unexpected by her caretakers and allows her to seize control of her life and finally break free of the cycle of poverty and abuse that has claimed those around her.

The Place We Went Yesterday is a good, well-edited read. It is not difficult to get through. However, while Ella is a character that the reader cannot help but grow fond of, the various secondary characters lacked connections or their own stories outside of how they related to Ella. Finally, there was just a tad too much explanation of Ella’s thoughts about the changes in her life, instead of details that let the reader decipher her feelings.

I give “The Place We Went Yesterday” 3 out of 5 stars.

Yours in Words,

M. Windholtz