Madrid, 1957--Spain has been under Francisco Franco's thumb for over 30 years. Using alternating voices of four characters, Ana, her older brother Rafael, their cousin Puri, and an aspiring, young American photojournalist Daniel, Sepetys allows readers several points of view. Ana, a housekeeper in the swanky Ritz hotel, meets Daniel, the photographer, when she cleans her room. In these introductory chapters, Sepetys adroitly brings alive the setting, the tension from living under Franco, and the possible conflicts of the characters. She uses the words silence and secrets several times, establishing one of the book's themes. "What can be built through silence?" (p. 7) Readers gain an early sense of of the country's oppression of both women's and the economic system. Quotes, oral history excerpts, and the inclusion of other memorabilia point to her research. Excitedly anticipating reading the entire book!