Dominicana - Angie Cruz

In line with my aim to read as many of the Women's Prize longlisters as possible before the shortlist is announced (along with reducing my ever-increasing pile of unread books), I decided to pick up Angie Cruz's Dominicana when I popped into The London Review last week. I've already read Girl, Woman, Other and Queenie, also longlisted, and particularly want to squeeze in Weather by Jenny Offill and The Dutch House by Ann Patchett before 22nd April. There really are just too many books and not enough time... sigh.

Angie Cruz's Dominicana is a highly accomplished book, well-deserving of the longlist accolade. The novel is set in 1965 and begins in the Dominican Republic, where fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion is proposed to by Juan Ruiz, along with the promise that she will be taken to New York City, leaving her modest countryside lifestyle behind. The USA also represents an escape route for the rest of her family, adding pressure to her decision. Despite him being twice her age, she has to say yes. So on New Year's Day, she is married to a man she barely knows and leaves her life and family behind for the rush of the big city. In contrast to the exciting and wealthy lifestyle she imagined, Ana Ruiz is now confined to a tiny apartment from which she cannot leave, oppressed by the possessiveness of Juan, who beats and accuses her. There are times when she sees glimpses of a kind and loving man, and these moments convince her to push his cruelty to the back of her mind - a true sign of a manipulative man. 

When political unrest strikes up back home, Juan has to return to the Dominican Republic to protect his family's assets, leaving Ana to fend for herself - the happiest she has ever been in New York, she starts her own small food business and takes English lessons to give herself a sense of independence and earn her own income. During her time alone, she hatches a plan to run away from her new life and return home, willing to suffer the wrath of her desperate family who cannot wait for their ticket out of the Dominican Republic and are pinning all their hopes on her. But Juan's charming and kind brother, César, convinces her to stay for a little while longer.

This was a highly enjoyable and gripping read (can you call something enjoyable when it also has disturbing content?), and a really eye-opening depiction of what it means to be an immigrant - particularly in 1960s America. Ana is a likeable and sympathetic protagonist, and the first-person narration ultimately brings you closer to her and heightens the empathy you feel for her situation (as first-person narratives tend to do). Cruz's characterisation is well-rounded and developed, and you really become invested in the relatively short character list in this novel. This is at once a triumphant, frustrating and heart-rending novel and I would highly recommend it!