Synopses & Reviews
Asher Stone grew up in an idyllic California family. His mother Linda made sure of that. She never wanted her son to feel different from other kids, just because he was adopted. She was a loving, devoted mother, and Asher a happy, healthy boy. So when a life-changin accident causes Asher to question his identity, he suddenly announces that he needs to learn about his roots, Linda is caught off guard. Asher doesn't want to hurt his mother, but something inside him is driving him to find out exactly where he came from. And so he takes off on a journey to Colombia in search of his birth mother.
Interspersed throughout Asher's story is that of his mother's, Rita. Moving back in time we watch as a young Rita begins a clandestine affair with a revolutionary soldier--a guerilla warrior who loved her deeply but couldn't leave the cause to care for her, not if he wanted to keep her safe. Rita is left alone and pregnant, with no support from her family. And though it breaks her heart, she makes the agonizing decision to give up her baby.
How can Asher, a young man who has never known hardship understand her decision? Can they have any kind of relationship--and where does that leave Linda if they do?
Review
"Cobo's second novel is a graceful, skillfully woven tale of Rita and the son who comes to find her more than two decades later....Through Rita, Cobo explores the human toll of a violent chapter in Colombia's history....The Second Time We Met is a beautifully well-told novel that will captivate readers."--San Franciscan Chronicle om The Second Time We Met
Review
"The heart of the novel-about a young Colombian girl-shines."--Kirkus on The Second Time We Met
Review
"[A] poignant tale of truths hidden and laid bare."--Booklist on TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE
Review
"The smooth prose and authentic Colombian settings provide a unique spin to familiar territory."--Publishers Weekly on TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE
Review
"Raw, passionate, honest and fearless."--Examiner.com on TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE
Review
"[Tell Me Something True] is a well told story. The characters are alive and maintain a reader's interest until the last word."--Midwest Book Review on TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE
Review
"What saves this novel of forbidden love and its repercussions from trite predictability -- in addition to its poignant ending -- are its sensuous setting and insights into the dichotomy of Colombian and American cultures....Cobo smoothly imparts the importance of familial ties and family honor in Colombia, alongside American priorities of success and security....Tell Me Something True is a bittersweet journey about coming to understand and forgive the indiscretions of one's parents through the simple act of living one's life."--Miami Herald on TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE
Synopsis
Adored and nurtured by his adoptive parents in California, Asher Stone has moved effortlessly through a nearly perfect life. He is on the verge of a professional soccer career-when a car accident throws his future into doubt. Suddenly, Asher begins to wonder about his past, and about the girl who gave him up for adoption in Colombia two decades ago. And so begins his search for a woman named Rita Ortiz.
From the teeming streets of Bogata to a tiny orphanage tucked into a hillside, Asher untangles the mystery of Rita's identity, her abrupt disappearance from her home, and the winding journey that followed. But as Asher comes closer to finding Rita, his own parents are faced with fears and doubts. And Rita must soon make her own momentous choice: stay hidden in her hard-earned new life, or meet the secret son who will bring painful memories-or the promise of a new beginning . . .
About the Author
Renowned journalist and former concert pianist, Leila Cobo is a native of Cali, Colombia. The Executive Director of Latin Content and Programming for
Billboard, she is a frequent contributor to NPR and has written liner notes for acts such as Ricky Martin, Shakira and Chayanne. She is also the host of the television show
Estudio Billboard, which features in-depth interviews with top Latin acts. Leila is a Fulbright scholar with a graduate degree from the Annenberg School of Communications at USC and holds dual degrees in journalism, from Bogota's Universidad Javeriana, and in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music.
She currently lives in Key Biscayne, Fl. with her husband and children.