The Ultimate Latin American Literature Bucket List

Macabéa lives in the slums of Rio de Janeiro but dreams of a better life for herself (which, in her mind, means looking like Marilyn Monroe and drinking Coke). As this novel develops, we learn how Macabéa's unfortunate outer appearance is at odds with the beauty of what she has to offer on the inside — with a little bit of a love story to round it all out.