Today I want to share my review of a book I read last year and loved so much. Dominicana by Angie Cruz made it to my top 10 of 2019 and it is out on paperback today!
Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.
As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.
Why I decided to read this book
Its been a while since I read it but it was a book I was anticipating because of the synopsis.
Rating
This is an absolutely amazing book! Check out my rating system here.
My Thoughts
I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK! It was one of the best books I read in 2019. Ana’s story is heartbreaking, the writing is beautiful and it covers very important topics. I am Puerto Rican so I think I have a different perspective reading a story like this. I am very fortunate that my story and my family’s story is very different to Ana’s but there is a connection I felt to Ana that I can’t explain. The story covers topics of immigration, the American dream, and challenges women face.
There’s mention of delicious food in this book (some of it food that I grew up eating), which was nostalgic and at the same time made me hungry. I felt like I could smell the food. I’ve been reading a lot of books lately that make me hungry.
I loved the writing style. It is very different, reminded me of the writing in Normal People (there are no quotation marks for the dialogue). However, it didn’t work for me in Normal People but it was amazing here! I think it helped portray Ana’s youth. Sometimes I would forget how young she was since she was forced to be a woman and wife so quickly. The Spanish intertwined throughout was spectacular and I just felt like I could hear them talking, it was very authentic.
This gave me a lot of the same feelings I had when I read A woman is no man. However, I think this book is more complex. I encourage people to read this book; it’s an important one, especially in these times. I read in an interview with Angie Cruz that she said: “Even if Dominicana is a Dominican story, it’s also a New York story, and an immigrant story” and I completely agree! Stories like these don’t get told often and I think we need more.
Who I recommend this book to
If you loved books like A woman is no man you’ll love this one!
Get the book!
You can get Dominicana by Angie Cruz from Bookshop.org here. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
I’m also giving away a copy of the paperback edition on my Instagram. Go enter here.
