La Llorona. (The Weeping Woman)
Reviewed by Carolyn Kost, Stevenson Sch. Lib., Pebble Beach, CA -- Críticas, 6/15/2008
Serrano, Marcela.
U.S.: Rayo: HarperCollins & Planeta. 2008. 169p. ISBN 978-0-06-170065-1. pap. $13.95. FICTION
Winner of the prestigious Sor Juana prize in 1991, for Nosotras que nos queremos tanto (“We Who Love Each Other So Much”), Chilean author Serrano is singularly capable of capturing the thoughts and feelings of women in her engrossing novels, but this attempt disappoints. Told that her baby has died soon after birth but provided with no corpse, the nameless protagonist here suspects foul play. She develops an organization to help others whose babies have been stolen for adoption or organ harvest, but when she sees what she believes to be her baby in the arms of another woman, her rush to action causes her misery as well as liberation. Unfortunately, Serrano seems to have tailored a novel for book clubs and the analysis endemic to Women’s Literature classes: humble protagonist committed to personal growth, check; strong female relationships and solidarity, check; weak or nonexistent males, check; issues relevant to the developing world, check. Serrano maintains an authentic voice for her protagonist, but the plot’s digression into the implausible detracts from what is otherwise a quick and enjoyable read that begs for lively discussion. Even with its weaknesses, however, this is likely to find an audience in bookstores and public libraries where women’s literature is popular.
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