The Immortal Boy / El Inmortal

This Spanish-English novel tells two interwoven stories of children living without their parents. Five siblings, ages five through twelve, are left alone after their mother dies and their father departs in search of work, asking them to remain together. Elsewhere, Nina waits in an orphanage after her politically active parents are imprisoned. Both Nina and the siblings hope for their parents’ return while trying to survive their absence. The older siblings carry much of the responsibility, and Hector, seeking work, is drawn into drug selling after an older boy offers him what appears to be a well-paid job.