DOMINICANA

Dominicana is the quietly powerful story of 15 year old Ana, who arrives in 1960s New York City from the Dominican Republic after her parents marry her off to a local man more than twice her age. Emotionally alone and utterly unmoored, Ana deeply misses her boisterous family and the country she loves. She has no idea how to navigate, much less enjoy, her new city - until her husband, Juan, temporarily returns to the Dominican Republic, leaving her with his younger, charismatic brother César. As Ana’s eyes are opened to the possibility of happiness in New York, she must reconcile her traditional notions of responsibility with her newfound sense of opportunity and freedom.

This enlightening and engrossing novel drew me in immediately. Less hopeful than The Girl With The Louding Voice, but not as dark as A Woman Is No Man, this book recalled these two favorites of the past year, all with young women who are forced into miserable marriages by opportunistic parents. In Dominicana, Ana is so crushed by everyone else’s expectations that she has no space to create any of her own. As her confusion and loneliness give way to moments of joy and courage, I wanted to give her a hug of encouragement. Juan’s own struggle to adapt in New York adds depth to the story, and insight to the complicated challenges of the immigrant experience in general.

Ana’s talents shine in the kitchen, as she creates all kinds of Dominican specialties including these pastelitos with beef. As I painstakingly tried to recreate them, I could not believe how labor intensive it was to make just ten, while Ana made dozens at a time. I loved this line: “When the fridge is almost empty, I invent something. And it comes out good.”