How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water
Ratings21
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings21
Average rating4.2
Cara Romero thought she would work at the factory of little lamps for the rest of her life. But when, in her mid-50s, she loses her job in the Great Recession, she is forced back into the job market for the first time in decades. Set up with a job counselor, Cara instead begins to narrate the story of her life. Over the course of twelve sessions, Cara recounts her tempestuous love affairs, her alternately biting and loving relationships with her neighbor Lulu and her sister Angela, her struggles with debt, gentrification and loss, and, eventually, what really happened between her and her estranged son, Fernando. As Cara confronts her darkest secrets and regrets, we see a woman buffeted by life but still full of fight.
Structurally inventive and emotionally kaleidoscopic, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water is Angie Cruz’s most ambitious and moving novel yet, and Cara is a heroine for the ages.
Reviews with the most likes.
this was funny and entertaining but triggering as hell when fernando was painfully relatable
CW: domestic abuse, child abuse, homophobia, and death
Was this book perfect? No
Will it be for everyone? No
Is it now a new favorite book? Yes
This book felt like it was written for me and me only. I cried so much because I saw myself in both Fernando and Cara. I saw my frustrations and insecurities in this book. I understood Fernando's pain dealing with a strict Dominican mom. However, I sympathized with Cara, because I saw every Dominican woman I know represented in Cara. I saw the real struggles and side effects of generational trauma. This is a book I will hold close to my heart for a long time.
One thing I loved to see is that this was written for Latine readers. It had Spanish words, Dominican food, and culture and it didn't explain it. It wasn't written to cater to non-Spanish speaking readers. So if you don't read/understand Spanish I recommend you look up what the words mean to get a full understanding of the story.
Do I recommend this? Maybe... this may be a bit triggering for a lot of people. Go into it with caution <3
Cara Romero has been laid off in her mid-50s after working at a factory making lamps for many years. She tells the story of her life to an employment counselor in a series of twelve sessions.
First line:
“My name is Cara Romero, and I came to this country because my husband wanted to kill me.”
From page 56:
“The new manager of our building came this morning to inspect the apartment. This is what they do, supposedly document repairs that have to be done. But I know the truth: it's to find reasons to throw us out.”
I loved this book so much! I won it in a Goodreads giveaway and my only regret is letting it sit on my shelf for months before I got to it. What a treasure!
I laughed out loud at some bits, and my heart broke a little at other bits. The character development is fantastic - I wanted so badly to jump into this book and hug and Cara many times. She just jumps off the page and is so....human.
Cara's story is incredible, the way she manages to pull so much out of life when it seems like she doesn't have anything left. I highly recommend this book - so much so that I included it as an honorable mention in my favorite books of 2022 list here: https://literaryquicksand.com/2023/01/best-books-of-2022-looking-back-at-our-favorite-reads/
