Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and gender discrimination. 

Liliana’s father, Antonio, says that he and his wife chose a name for her that was not a family name. It made her a unique departure from tradition. Her mother, Ilda, recalls dropping her off for her first day of kindergarten, seeing her in tears, and immediately taking her home. She was an empathetic child who despaired of other’s pain. She loved being close to others. Antonio remembers Liliana making him coffee when she was old enough: “No other daughter had done that for me before. None did it afterward” (288). 

Ilda believed that Liliana was safe with Ángel when they began dating because he drove her on errands, seemingly caring for her. However, she never saw him as a serious partner for her daughter, nor was he welcomed into the family home. Antonio regrets leaving his family to complete a doctorate in Sweden but reflects fondly on all the letters she sent him. Ilda recalls the misery that Ángel wrought when Liliana was in high school due to their breakups, but she was grateful that he drove Liliana back to Toluca when she went to study in Mexico City because she felt that it was safer than taking the bus.