A Mexican-American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter, she is known for quirky, often female-centered stories that explore multi-cultural themes and make experimental, imaginative use of language. Her best-known works include Esperanza's Box of Saints (1998) and Gonzalez & Daughter Trucking Co. (2005). She grew up in Mexico City with three siblings and later immigrated to the United States. She published her debut short story in a Mexican journal in the early 1970s.