Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Francis O’Sullivan

Weep, Woman, WeepWeep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Weep, Woman, Weep is a fascinating modern fairytale. Set in a remote village in New Mexico, it tells the story of a curse that has affected generations of women and one woman’s desperate attempts to resist it.
La Llorona is a haunting spirit, who takes lively and independent young people and fills them with sadness, redirecting them towards lives of passivity, conformity and obedience. Mercy has watched this happen to her neighbours and friends, and sees the impact La Llorona’s curse can have even generations later. She is determined to fight this seemingly inevitable fate and carve out her own path in life.
Despite the dark themes in this book, there is plenty of warmth and hope as well. There is Mercy’s friendship with Mr. Consuelo, who gives her a job working on his farm, and with young Miguel, who Mercy employs on her own farm. There is the continual cycle of new life as Mercy’s farm overcomes challenges and thrives. There is Santos, who works his magic into soothing balms and cleansing soap. And there are the little ways Mercy finds to keep her sadness at bay.
This is an engaging and original book, and gets five stars from me. I would recommend it to fans of magical realism, such as books by Cecelia Ahern and Jostein Gaarder.

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