This is an impressive novel as it spans a lot of time, is told from multiple perspectives and handles difficult topics. The subjects and them of the novel include: mother/daughter and spousal relationships, immigration and substance abuse. This ambitious novel covers a great deal in relatively few pages with elegant and efficient prose.

I wanted to like this book which chronicles the lives of generations of women who have learned to fight for what they need, what they deserve, what will carry them forward in a world which wants only to silence them, highlighting generations of mothers making hard choices in order to protect their children. There is a lot of jumping back and forth between time periods, which dampens the emotional impact of the stories, and the prose is highly over-written - there is the seed of a very good novel here, but for me, it never really became what the hype for the book promised.

This book alternates between stories of several women in multiple countries, including Cuba, Mexico, women from Cuba and El Salvador here in the U.S. The book was rather uneven. At times, the stories were absolutely riveting, disturbing and heartbreaking--but at others confusing and slow. I would have preferred more on just one or two of the women. There were too many so that it was hard to really understand and get attached to any of them.

The stories and lives of seven different women (Maria Isabel, Dolores, Carmen, Jeanette, Maydelis, being of one Cuban family and then Gloria and Ana from El Salvador) converge in this novel highlighting different points of each of their lives. The novel is beautifully written that tackles the violence of womanhood and machismo, addiction that begins innocuously, childhood and generational trauma, the roots of immigration into the U.S., and the nuanced discrimination and colorism that exists within the Latinx/Hispanic/Cuban communities.

The novel opens in 2018 Miami to Carmen writing a letter to her daughter, Jeanette, who we learn is in the precipice of detox and relapse. Jeanette is in her late-20s battling addiction, sexual and emotional abuse, and wants to gain an understanding of her broken-apart, sweep-everything-under-the-rug family. However, the first chapter is set in 1866 Camaguey, Cuba to Maria Isabel and a country torn by violence. When Jeanette, in 2014, sees her neighbor, Gloria, deported she takes in her daughter, Ana, for the weekend but then ends up calling the police (advice from her mother) AND ANA ALSO GETS DEPORTED, it haunts Jeanette. Then, we get a narrative from Gloria's POV while in an immigration detention center.

I was torn between loving this book and being confused by the various timelines. Though Gabriela Garcia titles each chapter with the narrator, date, and place, I felt jerked around and dizzy attempting to recall what has happened when with who and where in the macro timeline. This also left the ending feeling a bit empty in terms of a resolution (or lack thereof) with Carmen and Jeanette. A hauntingly beautiful and painful book that I so loved the pieces of and was left wanting more.

**3.5 stars

This is a multigenerational saga following a 19th century Cuban cigar factory worker to the present day Cuban American, Jeannette--a woman fraught with addiction. The book is a short one and has a very large cast of characters. The narrative jumps around to tell different stories about these women. At times, it made the story as a whole seem disjointed. There were parts of the writing that I found very engaging, but the organization and structure could have used some work.

This was a 4/5 star for me. I found myself captivated by Garcia's prose and her descriptions of Cuba, Miami, and Mexico. The relationships between Carmen/Jeanette and Gloria/Ana were the most compelling to me, and I was most drawn to the chapters narrated to those characters. I thought Garcia's structural decisions were ambitious. and there were times that it didn't work for me. With such a sweeping time frame and a large cast of characters, I wanted to spend more time with some people who we were only introduced to for a chapter or two (i.e. Dolores, Maria). However, despite some structural issues for me and some lack of depth/exploration of certain storylines, I really enjoyed this debut.

I recognized the value of this book especially the first chapter addressed to Jeannette and wonder if I will love it more on a second reading but for now - 4 vs. 5 stars.

This may be a multi-generational story of a Cuban-American family, but its really the story of Jeannette, the daughter of a Cuban immigrant. When we met her she’s an adult struggling with addiction and a struggling relationship with her mother who personifies the wealthy Cuban lifestyle with her husband, a surgeon. Its also the story of a El Salvadorian illegal immigrant who along with her daughter, Ana, are deported to Mexico, where they learn to survive. Intermingling chapters tell the story of Jeannette’s Cuban heritage and history, her current addition problems and the story of young Ana and her mother as illegal immigrants in two countries. You can try to leave your past, but it is always with you and a part of your heritage.

There could not be a more timely novel than “Of Women and Salt”. As we continue to experience terror, horror, and despair along the Mexican/U.S. border, Gabriela Garcia’s debut reminds us that this is nothing new. One of the most disheartening aspects of the 2021 version of events is a debate as to whether this is a “crisis” or not. One thing is certain: for all those families experiencing expulsion, extortion, bodily harm and threat, separation, prosecution, and persecution, it’s a CRISIS.

For those focused solely on recent events, Garcia reminds us that ICE raids, family separation, exploitation, and inequity is nothing new. It isn’t even something that the newly deposed Supreme Leader and his evil genius Miller cooked up. No, it goes back to the Obama administration and way beyond. In fact, immigrants have been exploited since the founding of the country enduring slavery, forced labor, inhumane conditions, constant uncertainty, rape, and general physical and psychological abuse.

“Of Women and Salt” stitches together the story of five+ generations of women from a few different sources. Their tales weave in and out. There are a few shaky success stories where individuals get a chance to experience the “American Dream” from different angles for a period of time. Far more frequently the novel depicts the struggles and tragedies experienced by those that just want a safer more equitable life for their children.

A last note: I don’t usually comment on the editor’s role in a novel. If I did, I would probably talk about how tighter editing would generally lead to a richer story. However, in the case of “Of Women and Salt”, I think that the problem is the opposite. I would have enjoyed a longer novel, less rushed, and choppy. There are sections that show that Ms. Garcia is fully capable of such expositions, the original Cuba segment being the strongest example. Hopefully, she will be able to show her full narrative palette in works soon to come.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the dARC.

This book is so hard to describe, but so good! It's a multi-family and multi-generational story of women, and the power they find within themselves to survive and protect their families no matter the impossible circumstances.

Each of these women is a product of the generations that came before her, even if she's not aware of those influences. The format of the story allows the reader to witness it firsthand, and piece it together over a span of nearly 200 years. It's a short but powerful novel that I couldn't put down, jumping from 1800s Cuba to present-day Miami, with Mexico and El Salvador in between. These women face it all: ICE deportation, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, addiction, and heartbreaking family dynamics based on decades-old misunderstandings.

Highly recommend. Many reviewers have commented on the nonlinear timeline being confusing. I get that, but it's worth the effort (and paying attention to the family tree at the beginning of the book, and referencing it frequently). Yes, it jumps around between families and generations. But that's the BEAUTY of this book- you are peeling back the family legacies throughout, learning the historical context for current events as they unfold. The secrets reveal themselves slowly and force you to connect the dots and reflect a bit, and I really enjoyed that reading experience.

Overall, what struck me most was the author's ability to beautifully articulate the extent to which our lives are dependent upon luck at birth--the country, family, and circumstances we are born into, largely inescapable (sometimes literally physically inescapable), and just how impossible and desperate that reality is for those living with violence, whether due to a violent nation or a violent partner.

In short, Of Women and Salt is a heavy dose of empathy and humility, and I plan to share it with many people in my life who could use both.

When I learned that Of Women and Salt was told through multiple generations and perspectives, I knew I had to read this book. This story is beautiful and intricately woven. Don't let this book's small size fool you: This book is long and requires your attention to appreciate how each character is connected.

Of Women and Salt focuses on several Latina women and how their lived experiences have been shaped by personal and political difficulties. At its highest moments, Garcia's work is engrossing and heart-wrenching. Although the pacing of the book itself is slow, I would also consider it a page turner. It was the characters and their challenges that keeps readers turning the pages. Because many of the chapters feel like short stories, when the ending arrives and connects all the histories together, it feels very much deserved.

At times, the narrative can be tangled and confusing. I believe this is intentional and also enhances the story. The women who are portrayed in this narrative are not simple and cannot live simple lives. Their past, present, and future will be untangled and touched by others, because they are simply the only ones capable of understanding the challenges each other has faced. Be warned while reading that this book has a slew of content warnings, such as pedophilia, sexual assault, death, addiction, deportation, and confinement. This book will likely be incredibly triggering for certain viewers, so please take care to look at the content warnings before reading this book.

Overall, it was the beautiful writing of Gabriella Garcia that really makes Of Women and Salt memorable. With it's release date right around the corner (April 6th), I'm thrilled to have had the chance to review this from NetGalley. Please make sure to preorder the book from your local bookstore.

OF WOMEN AND SALT is a complex family saga that jumps through time, showing how trauma and violence in the past can still have an effect on the future. The main center is the family of Carmen and Jeannette, a mother and daughter relationship that has been strained for many reasons, be it Jeannette's drug addiction, or Carmen's inability to acknowledge the pain she has caused Jeannette, or the fact that they just can't connect with each other because of their inherent inability to understand the other. We hop through time to see the family history, from the Cuban fight for independence from Spain, to the Cuban Revolution, to modern day Cuba, and while you get a sense for the reasons as to why they ended up this way and for each character separately, I didn't feel like the relationship between to two had the complexity and depth or reckoning that I was hoping to see. That said, I really enjoyed the exploration of politics in Cuba and how the Cuban Revolution affected the citizens, from those who escaped and never wanted to look back (Carmen, whose hatred of Cuba in the present is at a constant roil on the page), to Carmen's own mother Delores, who has made do (and in doing so created a fractured mother and daughter relationship between her and Carmen, with parallels to her relationship with her own child). There is a side story involving a woman named Gloria and her daughter Ana, who escaped El Salvador and ended up as undocumented immigrants in Miami, and are also Jeannette's neighbors. Gloria is eventually found out and detained by ICE in a border detention center, and Jeannette and Ana have a fleeting bond when Jeannette takes her in. I liked having this political aspect tackled too, given that refugees from Cuba like Carmen have had a very different experience from refugees like Gloria, though I'm not sure if Gloria and Ana got enough attention.

OF WOMEN AND SALT is a powerful and emotional look at mothers and daughters who have fled their homes due to violence, and how the trauma can continue to pass down as they try to find new footing in place that has dangers of its own.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was beautifully written. It tells the story of two families of women in Cuba, the US, and Mexico. Their lives intertwine by chance. One group is of Cuban descent the other is from El Salvador. The story takes us from 19th century Cuba to an Immigration Detention Center in Texas. We learn how strong women do whatever is necessary to keep their families safe and the price they and their children sometimes pay for those decisions. I couldn't put it down.

What a time to be celebrating BIPOC authors and BIPOC stories! I think this title is going to spark a lot of insightful and important conversations, shining a light on underrepresented latinx communities. Keep this one on your radar. Will recommend!

Such a poignant, heartbreaking, wonderful book that made me contemplate so many things. It is definitely important right now and holds no punches. I like that it rotated around to different characters in different timeframes, which helped me better grasp each character's story. I cannot say enough about this book!!

Of Women And Salt is the first novel from Gabriela Garcia and will debut on March 30, 2021. I received an advance copy from @flatiron_books via @netgalley in exchange for my honest review of this work. Of Women And Salt is the multidimensional story of two families of immigrant women, their lives throughout the years, across generations, and in multiple countries.

Of Women And Salt tells the story of seven different women, Cuban and El Salvadoran. Spanning five generations in three countries, their stories are told from all of points of view, from all points in time. Their lives intersect when recovering addict Jeanette, daughter of Cuban immigrant Carmen, takes care of young neighbor Ana, after her mother, El Salvadoran immigrant Gloria, is detained by ICE.

Of Women And Salt is impactful and ambitious - it covers a lot of time and place for what is not a very long novel. That may be where ambition gets the best of this novel. I enjoyed the story so much that I read this in a little over a day, but feel I would have enjoyed it much more with another 150 pages that it needed to fully flesh out the characters and their stories more. I love stories told from multiple points of view and different points in time, so I enjoyed those aspects being present, but I will admit I struggled with them a bit here. About halfway through I couldn’t place what happened when, so I stopped trying & just read. The book description led me to think it would read like a novel, but I believe it will appeal to fans of short stories.

3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My review for Booklist is here:
https://www.booklistonline.com/Of-Women-and-Salt-/pid=9741287

The review is also cross-posted to my Smithsonian BookDragon blog here:
http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/of-women-and-salt-by-gabriela-garcia-in-booklist/

A welcome antidote to the maudlin mess of American Dirt, Of Women and Salt has the scope and wider-ranging curiosities we typically see in a much longer novel. Closer to a collection of connected short stories, the punchy sections are compact, although the format may limit the overarching emotional storylines. At times, the stories set closer to the present forget to set the characters in motion, concerned with picking through the past, the emotional tenor stagnant.

There is, however, a lot to be admired here.

The language is studied and precise, although that does nothing to mute the emotions layered within. Garcia has a command of both her language and subject matter—from addiction to the history of Cuba to all the ways relationships can erode, sandcastles giving into a rising tide.

Perhaps most impressive, to me, is her ability to fully inhabit a variety of characters, seamlessly assuming the 1st person perspective. While many authors use the 1st person primarily for the convenience of dialogue and expressing wants, they revert back to their own voice in summary. Garcia is consistent, thinking like the character, noticing like the character, even using similes like the character at hand. Simultaneously timely and set within the intimate history of a family, Of Women and Salt is a worthy read from a new talent.

Listen to full reviews at: https://bookclubbed.buzzsprout.com/

Of Women and Salt tells a tale of generations of women, from Cuba to Miami, and back again. You learn secrets, personal failings, and also learn of a ribbon of abuse that threads it's way among the women. The one thing about the book I did not enjoy was the confusion of going back and forth, between time, between characters, and the gaps in the story. We learn of Maria Isabel - cigar roller in Cuba, struggling to learn to read, marries her love, and experiences great sadness and loss. I kept turning back and forth wondering, did I learn about Cecilia? Much of the novel was focused on Jeanette, and her story was the most painful to read. The drug addiction, the horrible choices (the foam party), and the tough relationship with her mom and dad.
Introducing the characters of Gloria and Ana - the illegal immigrants from El Salvador added to the confusion of the story, but yet it made the ending more meaningful. It was a unique was to highlight the perils of immigration, and the heartbreak of those people that are turned away. I hope to read more by Gabriela Garcia - many of her quotes and passages were so poignant, and memorable.

I’m judging a 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.
“Teenage you, spread like a starfish on the trampoline. Do you notice your crooked smile, how we share a mouth? Teenage you, Florida you, Grad Nite at Epcot, two feet in two different places. This is possible at Epcot, that Disney tiny world, to stand with a border between your legs.”
I hope this passage exemplifies what I felt when I first read it, the beginning of a promising debut, how Garcia can engage contemporary and complicated narratives.