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sparklingpynk's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, War, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Wow, this blew me away!
In 1965, 15-year-old Ana is married off (they fake her age to be 19 instead on official papers) to Juan (double her age!!!!!) and moves to the United States (New York), leaving her family, friends and only life she has ever known in the Dominican Republic. Her mom hopes that Ana will be able to find a job and send money back home, eventually having enough money and connections to bring the rest of her family to NYC. It is a grim transition and Ana is incredibly isolated, lonely and scared to be on her own with her new husband.
As Ana navigates Juan’s infidelity, his anger, and an apartment that leaves her wanting, she begins to realize that a life with Juan is not all her mom talked it up to be. When Juan leaves Ana to go back to the DR for a bit, she begins leaning into her independence, learning English, and taking initiative to do things on her own, like dance and go to the beach! She also spends a lot of time with Juan’s brother Cesar, who had convinced her to stay in the states after she had tried escaping back home. Ana finds herself and her voice and learns about deception, betrayal and how dire consequences can be when you put your faith in the wrong people.
Ana’s journey is so traumatic; I can only imagine. To think of myself or anyone at 15 years old navigating what Ana was forced into is devastating. And yet, Ana keeps it moving! I was so incredibly proud of her at the end of this novel, and while I’m deeply sorry she had to endure everything she did, I admire her growth, perseverance, courage, and honesty. She eventually refuses to accept being a passenger in her life and takes on the driver’s seat, which felt impossible at the beginning of her journey. I will absolutely read more from Angie Cruz in the future, and the audiobook narration was excellent as well!
See content warnings below (some are more graphic than others, but they all hit very hard. Characters display a lot of anti-Blackness, misogyny & even use the word “retarded”) & take care while reading.
Graphic: Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexism, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Cursing, Blood, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
leahkarge's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Violence, Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, Blood, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Classism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Antisemitism, War, and Police brutality
litliz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Medical content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Ableism, Deportation, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Miscarriage, Violence, Vomit, War, Excrement, and Xenophobia
liannaengland's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Animal death, and Pedophilia
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Death, Grief, Incest, Gun violence, War, Alcohol, Child death, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Car accident, Colonisation, Excrement, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Vomit, Ableism, Abortion, Antisemitism, and Drug use
Smoking. Strangulation/suffocation. Colorism, antiblackness.becks_books's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Rape
Minor: Infidelity and War
bites_of_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is the story of Ana, a 15 year old girl who is forced to marry an older man who will take her from the Dominican Republic to New York City for what her family believes is a better life and opportunities for the whole family.
In this book we see things from Ana's perspective for most of the book and we get to experience her fears, loneliness, confusion, and coming-of-age as she deals with an abusive husband, trying to take care of her family from far away, and trying to connect to people in this new country. The way that Cruz writes the story can be unsettling at times, touching on magical realism as Ana imagines things happening a different way than what lies before her. We also get some historical references relating to the political troubles happening both in the United States and the Dominican Republic.
I can't say I enjoyed reading this book because it really was painful at times. It reminded me of some things I experienced when I faced my own immigration story and culture shock, as well as reminded me of the stories that some family members have told me with respect to their own experiences when coming to the United States. I did appreciate that the story focuses on Ana's experience and highlights many of the struggles, both emotional, physical, and familial, that women face when moving (or when they are taken) to a new country in search of opportunity.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content
annreadsabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Similar to Severance, something that took a lot of getting used to was the lack of quotation marks. For one thing (and this may just be a personal problem), I found it difficult to distinguish when people were speaking from narration or internal thoughts. Stylistically, however, I think it actually lends itself to a more internalized way of engaging with the narrative—you are in Ana’s head almost completely. The lack of quotations, for me, additionally reflected the isolation Ana felt in a foreign country combined with her forced marriage to an abusive man.
Overall, this was such an excellent and challenging read—it’s not very long, but it holds a lot.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Racism and Death
Minor: Animal death and Suicidal thoughts
sorrymom94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence