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A review by hollyrebecca
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A funny, reflective and uniquely told tale about searching for a job in times of economic slump. Though in reality, this is a tale of life, a tale of finding yourself and understanding the consequences of your actions, a tale family and friendship, a tale of community and culture.
Cara Romero is enrolled on a career counselling scheme to help her find a new job. She has 12 weeks in which to do this and 12 sessions to help her, with the story told through Cara’s side of these sessions. But Cara has more than the lack of a job to think about. Her sister is planning to move away, her son remains estranged despite her best efforts, she’s falling behind on rent, and her friends are struggling with their own lives despite Cara’s tireless efforts to help.
Cara is such an interesting character. So very human with all of her fallibilities and quirks, I’d be hard pressed to say she’s a good person despite all of her apparent good deeds.
It’s important to recognise that we only hear this story from Cara herself, and everyone is bias when relating their own story. Cruz provides interesting insights between chapters in the form of bills and letters either corroborating or contradicting the story told by Cara. This provides an extra layer to the tale as you wonder about the reliability of Cara’s storytelling.
I listened to the audiobook for this story and it added much more weight to the tale. The delivery was very engaging and made me feel like the counsellor sat listening to Cara. Cruz has an uncanny way of knowing exactly what I’m thinking and, as such, Cara responds to the questions and thoughts in my own head.
A wonderful and engaging story!
Cara Romero is enrolled on a career counselling scheme to help her find a new job. She has 12 weeks in which to do this and 12 sessions to help her, with the story told through Cara’s side of these sessions. But Cara has more than the lack of a job to think about. Her sister is planning to move away, her son remains estranged despite her best efforts, she’s falling behind on rent, and her friends are struggling with their own lives despite Cara’s tireless efforts to help.
Cara is such an interesting character. So very human with all of her fallibilities and quirks, I’d be hard pressed to say she’s a good person despite all of her apparent good deeds.
It’s important to recognise that we only hear this story from Cara herself, and everyone is bias when relating their own story. Cruz provides interesting insights between chapters in the form of bills and letters either corroborating or contradicting the story told by Cara. This provides an extra layer to the tale as you wonder about the reliability of Cara’s storytelling.
I listened to the audiobook for this story and it added much more weight to the tale. The delivery was very engaging and made me feel like the counsellor sat listening to Cara. Cruz has an uncanny way of knowing exactly what I’m thinking and, as such, Cara responds to the questions and thoughts in my own head.
A wonderful and engaging story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Homophobia