#BookReview: We Have Always Been Who We Are by @sofiatromero

Synopsis: From Pushcart Prize–nominated author Sofia T. Romero comes a breathtaking debut collection of interrelated stories suffused with magical realism.

In stories that evoke the haunting beauty of New England beaches and resonate with a bittersweet loneliness, Romero blurs the lines between life and death, reality and fantasy. A deceased woman counsels her son’s fiancée on how to be a good wife to him, with disastrous consequences. A mysterious, commanding cat appears in a young woman’s home, as inexplicable as the demise of her years-long relationship with her boyfriend. At turns humorous, sorrowful, and whimsical, this collection spans the familiar setting of a college town supermarket to eerie dystopias that are not just post-pandemic, but post-art. Romero masterfully conveys the follies of youth and the regrets of life, and a sense of loss—of a relationship, a child, a time before—pervades each page.

With this remarkable debut, Romero joins the ranks of writers such as Brenda Peynado and Marytza K. Rubio, offering a superb collection of speculative fiction with a distinctly Latina perspective. We Have Always Been Who We Are is at its heart a testament to the power of storytelling, and an invitation to develop our inner strength through the imagination.



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 4 Stars
My Review: This was an amazing collection of short stories that I could not put down.  It was so interested and each story stood on its own. The original ideas were wonderful to read and I would love to see fully fledged stories. 

About the Author

Sofia Romero is a Puerto Rican author and a 2020 Pushcart Finalist for her story We Have Always Been Who We Are. Her writing has been compared to Jennine Capó Crucet's Make Your Home Among Strangers for her heartfelt depiction of women caught between two cultures, and to Julia Alvarez for her shimmering language.  --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Review

"The spare, muscular prose of newcomer Sofia Romero brings to mind the best parts of Hemingway, though her characters, unlike his, journey inward, through complex emotional truths that belie the minimalist language used to tell them. These are deceptively quiet stories that grow louder the longer they sit inside you. Stories that leave a fragrance behind, in your skin. Stories whose urgency lies in the haunting understatedness with which they're told. Romero's voice is clean, strong and unique, and one that deserves to be heard."

--Alisa Lynn Valdés, New York Times bestselling author of Hollow Beasts and The Dirty Girls Club  --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

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Posted in: 4 Stars, Adult, Blackstone Publishing, Review