BOLINA, the place where lost kites go to die, 'is an imaginary country where two peasant children, Mateo and Clara, spin out fantasies to counter the poverty and abuse of their wretched lives. Their bond is complex: sexually charged yet profoundly innocent. The children are unaware of consequences, Mateo lives only for Clara, and she for him. Cruz, a wonderful writer, draws their interwoven souls in language that's simple and poetic without being pretentious. -Mercury News.