I absolutely love reading books about families, and at the heart of it, the women who are at the heart of them, the ones who create families, nurture them, and see through them. What’s even more wondrous is when they create families such as these with their dearest friends. I remember feeling the same way reading, “Las Madres”, as I did when I first read, “The Joy Luck Club”.
Las Madres is the story of three mothers – Luz, Ada, and Shirley, and the two daughters – Graciela and Marysol. They are all bonded for life – though they live in different places – all hailing from Puerto Rico – daughters born in New York though – each of them struggling to find their place in the world, living life day after day. The story is set in two different time periods – the 70s, and 2017, told alternatively, with different perspectives and voices – as secrets come to fore, ambition is noticed, desire runs deep, and friendships are formed and forged for life, through thick and thin of it all.
I enjoyed the 70s timeline more, but that’s just because I have lived through the 2010s, and the 70s timeline seemed very nostalgic and had me hooked to the past. Santiago takes us through the emotional turbulence amongst families, of how friends become families we never knew we needed, and more than anything beautifully weaves the story with the political upheavals of its time, and the issues of the day.
Santiago builds characters with care and love, easing you into their lives, the characters linger, and as you get to know them – the five women, and the people associated with them – the story remains and in turn makes this impact in your heart and brain, not very easy to let go off.
