First, thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for allowing me the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

It is a pleasure to say that I did genuinely like this book!

<i>Other Evolutions: A Novel</i> is a deep-dive into Alma Alt's family life. She's a Mexican-Jewish Canadian, and we find out early on that she lost her arm in an accident. In the first three parts, Garcia tells us Alma's story from the time she was five-or-so, to the time she she loses her arm, and how that has impacted her life and her relationships with her family and others around her.

Here, there is, unfortunately, a bit of a disconnect. With the fourth part entered the "sci-fi" of it all-- despite it still being about the loss of her arm and her relationships with those around her, it definitely through me off because I became so engrossed with her life I completely forgot how it was supposed to be a sci-fi novel.

Regardless, Garcia writes an excellent family drama; her prose is lovely, and for the first time, I found the lack of quotation marks fine-- I even felt like they added to the stream of consciousness writing. I cried when I grasped what had happened the night of the accident-- and I cried again when Alma finally speaks her mind. The novel itself is such a poignant story of grief, trauma, belonging, and family.

I would like add that the abrupt sci-fi didn't bother me as it might readers who enjoy more sci-fi aspects in their reads. I was surprised at where it went-- I wouldn't have guessed what happened in the last bit of the book if I was staring right at it (which I was).

I would happily recommend this book to those who enjoy speculative fiction, family dramas, introspection like nobody’s business, and stories about identity and what shapes it.

DNF - There was a lot to appreciate in the essence of the story, I did not particularly vibe with the method used to approach the storytelling. I had high hopes going into this one so, perhaps it is partially my fault for going in with such high expectations.

Wasn’t a fan of this but that’s personal preference. I do believe fans of this style will have a better trip

This novel explores big, important themes—identity, family secrets, intergenerational trauma, and the complexities of race and belonging. At its core is Alma Alt, a young woman reeling from a tragic accident that has left her physically and emotionally scarred. The premise has promise, especially with its layered family dynamics and the ghostly reappearance of someone Alma believed was dead.

The pacing is sluggish, with long stretches of introspection that often feel repetitive rather than revelatory. Alma’s emotional state is understandably fractured, but her voice remains so muted and withdrawn that it’s challenging to fully connect with her or invest in her arc. Key relationships—particularly between Alma and her sister Marnie—are central to the story but sometimes lack the depth and urgency to make the emotional stakes land.

The novel also heavily uses symbolism and metaphor, especially in relation to race, passing, and cultural identity, but not always in ways that feel natural or earned. The surreal twist involving the boy Alma thought had died introduces a supernatural element that could have been compelling but instead feels underdeveloped and jarring, given the otherwise grounded tone.

That said, the writing has moments of beauty, and the setting-serves as a fitting backdrop for Alma’s internal exile.

Overall, a well-intentioned but uneven novel. The themes are important, but the storytelling doesn’t always rise to meet them.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another incredible premise where the POV didn't really click for me. The story is told in a series of incredibly short chapters narrated by the protagonist, Alma, each of which gives a snippet into her life. While I found Alma's voice to be engaging and occasionally humorous, I found that the short vignettes to be a difficult format for digesting the details of the plot. However, I thought the commentary on grief and trauma was incredibly profound. I liked the ending was kept relatively ambiguous, allowing the reader to draw their on conclusions on what path the characters take.

Went into this book generally blind as I loved the cover. But what was read was a book with tremendous grief and heart to soothe a soul. I’ll be remembering this one for awhile.

I really enjoyed this book and the way it was framed/the way the character relationships were developed. I found myself relating in different ways to every character and sympathizing with them.

The way themes of grief and belonging were explored were also so creatively and amazingly done!

3.5⭐

The story follows Alma Alt, a Mexican-Jewish Canadian girl who loses her arm in an accident when she's a teenager.

This actually reads like two stories. The first three parts and the final one feel barely connected to each other, apart from the fact that it all revolves around Alma's accident. In the first part, we learn her story. She tells us about her childhood and her family. Garcia's writing is really intimate in the sense that it all feels like it's a friend telling us about her life, the whole thing like a long stream of consciousness, and the absence of dialogue indicators not that much of a miss once you're absorbed in the narrative. The whole thing leading to the accident was beautiful and sad, and I felt my chest tightening with the knowledge of what was coming.

After it, we have to deal with the consequences of the loss and the trauma in Alma's life and how it reflects on her relationships. Up until this point, it's all a perfectly constructed family drama. At so many moments I caught myself (the older sibling in my family) thinking that yes, this does make sense, as it's how my parents would treat me and my brother in a similar situation. Still, despite the difference in our positions within our families, I felt like I understood so many of Alma's thoughts and decisions and her view of the world.

And then, after all of that, we come to the final part, which was honestly very underwhelming. It was still very much well written, it gave me chills in a few moments and in a lot of them I had to put the book down and look at my ceiling while whispering to myself 'what the hell am I reading?'. But, like I said, it felt disconnected from the rest of the story. The ending came out of nowhere, feeling rushed, and it left me dissatisfied. But the whole thing was so well built up until that point that it didn't affect the rest of the experience.

I started reading this book with a lot of expectations, none of which were met. I always thought I knew where the story was going only to be wrong. And because of that it was a really good experience. If I knew more about the story, I probably wouldn't have picked up the book. But not knowing felt really fresh, being so different to what I usually read.