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A review by esha_tujjohora_3786
Solitaria: A Novel by Eliana Alves Cruz
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book left a deep mark on me. It tells the story of a mother and daughter who work as live-in maids for a wealthy family, showing how class, power, and silence shape their lives. Eunice, the mother, accepts her quiet role and carries the burden of generations before her, women who’ve always served others. Her daughter Mabel, however, begins to feel trapped and restless. She wants something more, something different. Their relationship is filled with love but also unspoken pain, as Mabel tries to break the cycle her mother has silently accepted.
What touched me most was how the book explores the idea of modern-day servitude...how even though slavery is over, its effects still linger. The characters aren’t in chains, but they’re not free either. It shows how hard it is to break away from a system built to keep people in their place. Still, there's strength, quiet resistance, and a strong hope for something better.
The writing is simple yet so emotional. Every sentence carries weight. The way the author captures space...small rooms, big silences, invisible borders...is brilliant. It reminded me a lot of "Clean" by Alia Trabucco Zerán, one of my all-time favorite books, because both explore class, injustice, and generational pain in such an intimate way.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Penguin Random House Canada & Alchemy by Knopf Canada for the eARC. This was a deeply meaningful read...one that will stay with me for a long, long time.
4.5 stars ✨
What touched me most was how the book explores the idea of modern-day servitude...how even though slavery is over, its effects still linger. The characters aren’t in chains, but they’re not free either. It shows how hard it is to break away from a system built to keep people in their place. Still, there's strength, quiet resistance, and a strong hope for something better.
The writing is simple yet so emotional. Every sentence carries weight. The way the author captures space...small rooms, big silences, invisible borders...is brilliant. It reminded me a lot of "Clean" by Alia Trabucco Zerán, one of my all-time favorite books, because both explore class, injustice, and generational pain in such an intimate way.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Penguin Random House Canada & Alchemy by Knopf Canada for the eARC. This was a deeply meaningful read...one that will stay with me for a long, long time.
4.5 stars ✨