Many thanks to @flatiron and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies

 

“Sometimes we need help to not drown in a glass of water.”

 

Write this down… Cara Romero will stay with you long after you finish this book.  

 

Deeply heartfelt yet brimming with humor.  This is THE audiobook experience of the year.  

 

Cara Romero, a 56 year old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, is looking for work after the 2008 recession closed the factory in which she was previously employed.  As Cara navigates the unemployment program and its 12 interview sessions, the program questions turn into a monologue of her life story from successes to failures, from joys to sorrows.

 

Desahogar: to un-drown, to pour one’s heart out

 

As Cara poured her heart out, I listened, fully enrapt.  Her need for connection was equally met by my need to hear more of her story.  Her voice is frank, distinct, and eccentric.  Cara’s wit allowed her (sometimes melancholic) reflection to feel light, even laugh out loud funny at times.  

 

“It will not be easy to say I am American, because when someone says American, they don’t imagine me.”

 

Deeply impactful and full of honest contemplation, Cara’s ruminations give a voice to some of the most pertinent struggles of our time: immigration, gentrification, unemployment, caring for elderly, poverty.  

 

This was not my normal audiobook experience.  This was a production, as though I was a fly on the wall, hearing each and every noise during the sessions…water being gulped, chairs moving, pencil scratches, typing, and so much more.  The narration by Rossmery Alamonte and Kimberly Wetherell was truly exceptional.  Alamonte brought Cara to life in a bold and vivid manner.  

 

If you enjoy audiobooks, this one is not to be missed.