Every year, Ceyala "Lala" Reyes' family--aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and Lala's six older brothers--packs up three cars and, in a wild ride, drive from Chicago to the Little Grandfather and Awful Grandmother's house in Mexico City for the summer. Struggling to find a voice above the boom of her brothers and to understand her place on this side of the border and that, Lala is a shrewd observer of family life. But when she starts telling the Awful Grandmother's life story, seeking clues to how she got to be so awful, grandmother accuses Lala of exaggerating. Soon, a multigenerational family narrative turns into a whirlwind exploration of storytelling, lies, and life. Like the cherished rebozo , or shawl, that has been passed down through generations of Reyes women, Caramelo is alive with the vibrations of history, family, and love.

桑德拉•希斯內羅絲（Sandra Cisneros），1954年齣生於芝加哥，因詩歌和小說創作而贏得國際聲譽。她曾獲得過很多奬項，包括“蘭南文學奬”（the Lannan Literary Award）和“美國圖書奬”（the American Book Award），她還是“國傢藝術捐助基金”（the National Endowment for the Arts）和“麥剋阿瑟基金”（the MacArthur Foundation）的受資助作傢。希斯內羅絲著作頗豐，包括短篇小說集《喊女溪及其他》（Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories），《芒果街上的小屋》（The House on Mango Street），詩集《浪蕩女》（Loose Woman）、《不擇手段》（My Wicked Wicked Ways），以及兒童讀物《頭發》（Hairs / Pelitos）。希斯內羅絲現居美國得剋薩斯州的聖安東尼奧。