A review by oneanjana
Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie

5.0

“She was the Weeping Woman, sure. But I was the woman who made rainwater out of tears. I would use them to water my crops through this drought. When people bought my fat turnips and sharp radishes and long, thick carrots, they would taste of freshly turned futures, hope, the bittersweet taste of things past, and the salty tang of possibility. This I would do to remind others that we are the seeds we plant, not the histories forced upon us. This I would do to wash away the sorrow from my soul.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

This book is so heartwarming. Even though this book categorized as horror, I think it’s more magical realism, and the horror level is probably only 0.000001%. Which is very subtle. Probably because the story is related to La Llorona, the Weeping Woman, so it categorized as horror, but it's actually not horror at all. I think the story is beautiful and touching.

Our narrator and main character, Mercy, tells the story of her life in a circle full of sorrow and grief because of La Llorona’s doing. And how she tries to break the chains of the generational trauma. I like the writing style, which make us seems so close with Mercy and listening to Mercy's story directly. The way the story is told is never a dull moment and it flows beautifully. In my opinion, this book also has its own deep meaning apart from Mercy’s story to fight La Llorona’s curse. I can see that in this life, we are just like Mercy. We have our own 'ghost' ready to haunt us whenever we are drowning in sadness, griefs, regrets, or sorrows. The ghost can be our past that we may not be able to let go or fully accept. That being said, this book is beautifully-written too.

Overall, I didn’t have any particular issues when reading this book. Maybe at first it felt a little slow, but it doesn’t bother me. I’d say again, this book is short but very beautiful and heartwarming. This was a story of letting go, accepting ourselves, and how we work for miracles. As Mercy also said about miracles:

“Here's the thing about miracles—medicine—whatever you want to call it. You can't force it on anyone or do the work for them. All you can do is make your own miracles and let people live out their lives however they plan to.”

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the opportunity to read this eARC. All opinions are my own.