A review by lvd92
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

dark emotional funny slow-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? Yes

4.0

This book was quite a surprise. The main character is Cara, a woman in her sixties who fled her home country many years ago. She lost her job in a factory two years ago as that company moved its production outside of the US, and now needs to find a job because her benefits will expire. She receives assistance to find a job as part of some program which she qualifies for due to her age, which means she has to come in for appointments. The whole book is essentially her telling this job assistance worker about her struggles in life.

The moment I realised what it was, I considered not continuing it because this type of storytelling tends not to work for me. However, I gave it some more time and I am really glad I did. To be honest, I am not sure how I would have fared with reading it physically - I think this story was made for audio. Cara was such an engaging character and storyteller, she drew me in completely. The voice actor who portrayed her did an amazing job. She feels incredibly real as a flawed human being who is doing her best to stay afloat and help people around her. Tough themes are addressed in this book, such as family drama, starting out with nothing, being a foreigner in a strange country, physical abuse, being a person subjected to rigid procedures, etc. I think they were handled well - not sugar coating without being too heavy, in a slice of life kind of way.

Truly a solid read.

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