For a book of just 204 pages, there’s an impressive array of pertinent issues to unpick in Gabriela Garcia’s first novel, Of Women And Salt (Picador). Published last month in the US to a plethora of acclaim, the book draws on Garcia’s experiences growing up in Miami as the daughter of Cuban and Mexican immigrants and working as a migrants’ rights organiser in Texan family detention centres. It’s a multi-generational story that, at its heart, is a tribute to imperfect mother-daughter relationships and the enduring strength of women.
“From 1860s Cuba to 2016 Miami, with a brief side-step into Texas and Mexico, the story follows two matriarchal families who are determined to create a better life for themselves and their daughters, no matter what it takes,” says Stylist Loves’ content director Gemma Crisp. “For Carmen, her refusal to talk about why she left Cuba leads to unbearable tension as her daughter Jeannette struggles to kick a serious drug addiction. With Gloria, her new life in Miami comes to an abrupt end when she’s deported alongside her young daughter Ana. With a non-linear storyline addressing race, class, colourism, privilege and the ever-complicated reasons why mother-daughter relationships can break beyond repair, I only wish Of Women And Salt was longer so I could discover more about this fascinating cast of women.” £14.99, Bookshop.org