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

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I found the structure of this novel to be really interesting— the narration is Cara’s Romero’s side of a series of conversations with her representative from a workforce program, interspersed with documents from the program and Cara’s landlord. The result is an interesting tension between the larger systemic forces working against Cara (gentrification and poverty) and her personal struggles and successes with family and friends. Through Cara’s stories, we witness her own trauma, flaws, and growth as she laments her estrangement from her son and considers her own role in that relationship. This is a novel about survival, acceptance, forgiveness, and love. Though there are some tough themes throughout, it has its moments of levity and ultimately feels hopeful. Liked it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings