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A review by alysynhardt
Soledad by Angie Cruz
4.0
What I find the most compelling part's of Angie Cruz's novel is not the prose or magical realist elements, but its extremely accurate caricature of NYC. The funniest and truest description of West Manhattan. I wouldn't describe it as magical realist so much as having a dream motif. The lyrical ending doesn't quite flow with the rest of the novel, but it doesn't spring up from nowhere.
A novel equally about sexuality as it is about hybridity, it's not the average second generation story. Soledad is likable, without becoming boring. Her mother is catatonic through the majority of the novel, yet their relationship becomes clear within the first few pages. The three generations of females' relationships mimic real family life. This makes the more hallucinatory elements of the novel believable when they arise.
Flaca, Soledad's firecracker cousin, steals the show though. Her parts, while mostly providing comedic lines, hold a lot of weight and really push this novel to true bildungsroman status.
The novel is better as a beach read though than a thought provoking text. Cruz's argument, if there even is one, is to basically learn how to communicate within the contexts of both romantic & familial love. The narrative itself is stronger, a quick, but bright read.
A novel equally about sexuality as it is about hybridity, it's not the average second generation story. Soledad is likable, without becoming boring. Her mother is catatonic through the majority of the novel, yet their relationship becomes clear within the first few pages. The three generations of females' relationships mimic real family life. This makes the more hallucinatory elements of the novel believable when they arise.
Flaca, Soledad's firecracker cousin, steals the show though. Her parts, while mostly providing comedic lines, hold a lot of weight and really push this novel to true bildungsroman status.
The novel is better as a beach read though than a thought provoking text. Cruz's argument, if there even is one, is to basically learn how to communicate within the contexts of both romantic & familial love. The narrative itself is stronger, a quick, but bright read.