Reviews

Eartheater by Dolores Reyes

fe_lea's review against another edition

 “I stroked the earth, closed my fist, and with my hand lifted the key to the door through which Maria and so many other girls had passed, beloved daughters carved from the flesh of other women. I lifted the earth and swallowed it, then swallowed more, swallowed plenty, giving birth to fresh eyes that allowed me to see.” 

When they buried her mother, the girl swallowed the earth and she saw how her mother died, killed by the hands of her father. Eartheater is a dark magical realism debut by Dolores Reyes set in the slums of Argentina. It tells the story of a girl who eats dirt and gets visions of the dead and the missing. When word of her ability spread throughout her barrio, people started seeking her out to help them solve the murder and missing cases of their loved ones, cases the cops didn’t bother looking into or have simply given up on. 

“When they don’t listen, I scarf earth. I used to do it for me, for the fuss, because it annoyed and embarrassed them. The earth was dirty, they said, my belly would bloat like a toad. Then, I started eating earth for others who wanted to speak. Others, already gone.” 

Eartheater was a unique concept, but I think it would have been better as a novella. The pacing didn’t work for me and some parts felt dragging and slow. I liked the story, but something about the execution fell short - perhaps it was the translation. Where the story shined for me though is the earth eating. I think it was brilliant that the author decided to use this to tell the story of forgotten people. The translator’s notes explained how this book rose as a response to the ongoing femicide in Latin America. The scenes of eartheater eating dirt and then having visions of these victims were, for me, the strongest part of the novel. The author paints visceral and haunting images through these scenes. The grief and pain become palpable, not just the pain of the victims, but the pain of the ones left behind as well. I would have preferred it if the book focused on the femicides but I also get the intention of the author to include the stories of the neglected - the people of the slums who cannot afford justice and are also easily forgotten. The ending also felt abrupt and I needed more resolution, but perhaps this can also be considered a metaphor for how these people never get the clear resolutions that they deserve. 

While I may not be a fan of the execution (or the translation? who knows. but I wish I knew how to read Spanish), there’s a lot to get from Eartheater. It’s a story about poverty and gender violence; an ode to the forgotten and the neglected; and for people to listen to the pain and grief that they go through. It can be heavy and a little clunky (again, not sure if this is an execution or a translation issue for me), but it’s worth reading. 

“Gravestones, letters written to our dead. Ana never got one. Mama got a name and two dots. I thought of how I also wanted to have a name. Out there. One all my own.” 

vlookup's review against another edition

3.0

Discovered this book through Kayla of Books and Lala. Man, this is sad af. Will I read it again? No. But I am very happy to have read the work of a Latina author.

keni10's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

nathanstrachan's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• 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? No

4.0

biolexicon's review

5.0

While reading this book, it was hard to believe the author hadn't known everything I love about stories and created this just for me. This one checked all my boxes. Magical realism (check), feminism and violence against women (check), people at the fringe (check), introversion (check), murder investigations (check), showing women being resilient while still being realistically affected by trauma (check), Latin America - Buenos Aires specifically (check), the feeling of being adrift (check), a sense of disconnection from material possessions (check), fiction in translation (check). My expectations were high and this story exceeded them.

The ending was well balanced. Grey enough where the serious and complicated story isn't wrapped up in a nice bow. But tidy enough to make me feel satisfied.
Also, what a beautiful cover.

For reasons I don't understand, even though the text was originally written in Spanish, the Spanish language version isn't available in the US yet. The translators note at the end mentioned the Spanish text being hyper local and I can't wait to dig into the original text itself and deepen my appreciation for the Spanish language.

jbosio's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I liked the writing but not the “story”

aria_dna's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

mireillerb's review against another edition

4.0

Hablemos de magia y conexión en esta era moderna, mucho más allá de la fantasía y enraizándonos con la Naturaleza que nos habla de lo tristemente cotidiano: los feminicidios y la precariedad.
Esta novela reconecta con la posibilidad innata que existe en la humanidad para conectar con todo, y que día a día arrancamos con elementos mundanos.
Había posibilidad para una historia impecablemente contada, que se vio parchada con capítulos (por suerte de a lo mucho 3 páginas) innecesarios, y personajes que no aportaron mucho más que relleno.

moonblink39's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? Yes

3.5

jardeley's review against another edition

2.0

2,5⭐️