A review by gissellereads
Dominicana by Angie Cruz

5.0

Synopsis: A coming of age story of Ana, a Dominican 15 year old, in NYC in the 1960s. She’s forced to marry a 32 year old in a business arrangement and move to NYC. This story follows Ana’s life in the US and the challenges she faces. It’s a story of what it means to be an immigrant in America.

Review: I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK! Its one of my favorite reads of the year for sure. Ana’s story is heartbreaking, the writing is beautiful and it covers very important topics. I am Puerto Rican so I think I have a different perspective reading a story like this. I am very fortunate and my story and my family’s story is very different to Ana’s but there is a connection I felt to Ana that I can’t explain. The story covers topics of immigration, the American dream, and challenges women face.

There’s mention of delicious food in this book (some of it food that I grew up eating), which was nostalgic and at the same time made me hungry. I felt like I could smell the food. All the books I’m reading this month make me hungry!

I loved the writing style. It is very different, reminded me of the writing in Normal People (there are no quotation marks for the dialogue). However, it didn’t work for me in Normal People but it was amazing here! I think it helped portray Ana’s youth. Sometimes I would forget how young she was since she was forced to be a woman and wife so quickly. The Spanish intertwined throughout was spectacular and I just felt like I could hear them talking, it was very authentic.

This gave me a lot of the same feelings I had when I read A woman is no man. However, I think this book is more complex. I encourage people to read this book; it’s an important one, especially in these times. I read in an interview with Angie Cruz that she said: “Even if Dominicana is a Dominican story, it's also a New York story, and an immigrant story” and I completely agree! These stories don’t get told often and I think they should.

Thank you so much to Flatiron books for the beautiful finished copy and shirt!