The Mango Tree

A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony

By: Annabelle Tometich

Narrated by: Annabelle Tometich

This “witty, humorous, and heartfelt“ (Cinelle Barnes) memoir navigates the tangled branches of Annabelle Tometich’s life, from growing up in Florida as the child of and a Filipino mother and a deceased white father to her adult life as a med-school-reject-turned-food-critic.

When journalist Annabelle Tometich picks up the phone one June morning, she isn’t expecting a collect call from an inmate at the Lee County Jail. And when she accepts, she certainly isn’t prepared to hear her mother’s voice on the other end of the line. However, explaining the situation to her younger siblings afterwards was easy; all she had to say was, “Mom shot at some guy. He was messing with her mangoes.” They immediately understood. Answering the questions of the breaking-news reporter—at the same newspaper where Annabelle worked as a restaurant critic—proved more difficult. Annabelle decided to go with a variation of the truth: it was complicated.

So begins The Mango Tree, a poignant and deceptively entertaining memoir of growing up as a mixed-race Filipina “nobody” in suburban Florida as Annabelle traces the roots of her upbringing—all the while reckoning with her erratic father’s untimely death in a Fort Myers motel, her fiery mother’s bitter yearning for the country she left behind, and her own journey in the pursuit of belonging.

With clear-eyed compassion and piercing honesty, The Mango Tree is a family saga that navigates the tangled branches of Annabelle’s life, from her childhood days in an overflowing house flooded by balikbayan boxes, vegetation, and juicy mangoes, to her winding path from medical school hopeful to restaurant critic. It is a love letter to her fellow Filipino Americans, her lost younger self, and the beloved fruit tree at the heart of her family. But above all, it is an ode to Annabelle’s hot-blooded, whip-smart mother Josefina, a woman who made a life and a home of her own, and without whom Annabelle would not have herself.

©2024 Annabelle Tometich (P)2024 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

“The Mango Tree is a story about a life spent focused on finding your place in the world, only to discover yourself instead. To oldest daughters who have raised siblings and those in need of an honest look at the pain and humor in complicated family love, Annabelle Tometich has written the book you've been waiting for.”—Minda Honey, author of The Heartbreak Years

“The Mango Tree introduces us to a debut author ready to bend our understanding of Florida, Filipino American life, and motherhood. Witty, humorous, and heartfelt, Annabelle Tometich's unflinching memoir is a welcome and necessary addition to contemporary Asian-American literature. Tometich fills the need for a book that is so readable, so nuanced in its storytelling, and so forgiving in its portrayal of an overburdened, culturally isolated immigrant mother making a life for herself and children. Many times, I saw myself as the narrator and, more unexpectedly, as her mother. That's a sign to me of a book written with a keen eye and an open heart. This will be a gift to Filipinos and Filipino Americans everywhere.”—Cinelle Barnes, author of Monsoon Mansion and Malaya: Essays on Freedom

"Smart and compelling, funny and devastating, The Mango Tree gets to the heart of what matters—our relationships with our families, our world and ultimately ourselves. This is the kind of memoir that stays with you long after the final page."—Artis Henderson, author of Unremarried Widow

The courage of the author

I listened to this book, now I want to read it through again. This is an amazing story of life. I want to embrace the author and thank her. Life is not always what we expect. I cried, laughed and felt a bond.

Loved this story

It was so descriptive and real I feel like I know the characters and possibly resemble one of them

Heart-wrenching & Heartwarming

I may be biased because I’m from the same County in SW Florida, but this was written and delivered beautifully. I felt the shock, pain, love, torture, disgust, joy, pride and sadness through each chapter. I highly recommend.

Beautiful, Real, and wise

It was a little slow for me to get into but once I was, the story took over and I was fully immersed. Author has a great voice and the story was so alive. I really loved it and am grateful that it came to light so I could hear it.

This story touched me for many reasons, my favorite Philippine boss, I thought of her so many times listening to this book

Please write more you are a talented writer and narrator! My mangoes are green but I will fight with those bluebirds to get them before they do so I can share with the people who will appreciate them❤️❤️

Love the Perspective

Awesome story told through the lens of the author, as a child, growing through relatable coming-of-age moments, engulfed in unrelatable chaos. Would like to meet the author...would love to meet the mother.

Real life situations

I really like the way the book was written and I could relate in some ways that touched my heart

Sweet and Juicy

Such a sweet and juicy memoir of life growing up in Fort Myers as a minority. I too am from Fort Myers and loved how at home this book felt.

The reality of the story.

I liked that she told her story, the good the bad and the ugly with grace.

Genuine and full of heart

I enjoyed this engaging and well-written memoir. In many ways, this brought to mind Jeanette Walls's The Glass Castle, a memoir of growing up in a family that was at times dysfunctional, loving, and abusive. In The Mango Tree, Tometich is half Filipino and has a crazy brilliant Filipino mother, as the author strives to be normal and fit in as an American. The focus of this is on Tometich's childhood, but I like that it spanned her life to adulthood. This book is authentic and full of heart.