“My name is Cara Romero, and I came to this country because my husband wanted to kill me.”
Angie Cruz from ‘How Not To Drown in A Glass of Water’
A striking opening sentence to this engaging, under-200 page book. Our protagonist Cara Romero is a 56-year old Dominican immigrant living in New York, where her apartment and city is slowly being overrun by rich, white people. The story is set during the Great Recession in 2009, New York City. Cara has lost her factory job, and in efforts to find a new one, she is set up with a job counselor. Instead of routine interviews, Cara- an oversharer- narrates her life, history and experiences.
The format of this book is quite different from the usual writing styles – there are no quotation marks. There is a lot of Spanish lingo used (I presume to convey Cara’s nationality and status). I struggled with the use of Spanish in this novel but soon realized it adds so much complexity to Cara’s character.
This book is written in the form of a one-sided conversation. We never get to hear from the job counselor, but the entire novel is written as the questions and responses Cara gives. I found the narrative structure compelling; this would have not been my first choice but as I read more of Cara’s thoughts, I realized this writing allows us to partake in an in-depth character study on our a protagonist. It offers a deep dive into how she thinks, her past, the immigrant experience in America, and her interactions with queer people via her estranged son.
The writing style also lends a distinctive voice and structure to this novel . The author crafts a very consistent character in Cara with her narration of events that lends humor and humanity. I was slightly put off in the beginning , but it picks up and ends with a strong finish. If I were to describe this book, I would use the word inventive.
Personally, I found the title quite intriguing and spent some time attempting to decode its meaning. There are numerous references to the Spanish word for venting one’s feelings, ‘desahogar’, which literally means “to un-drown.” To pour one’s heart out. To cry until there is no need to cry anymore. This sums up the story the author tells- a character who is unknowingly burdened with trauma offloading (‘undrowning’) to a listener (in this case, her job counselor).
I have a soft spot for older, female protagonists because there is minimal representation in literature. The depth of this story lies in the fact that this is as much about Cara’s internal life and her relationships as it is about disenfranchised immigrants with limited financial and educational resources. I really enjoyed this read, and I am eager to pick up “Dominicana” by the same author.