“Crossing Waters” – Luisa Etxenike (translated from Spanish by Lilit Zekulin Thwaites)

My thanks to @netgalley and @sundial_house_nyc for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set on the coast of the Basque Country, “Crossing Waters” is told through three main protagonists. The first is Manuela, a Colombian woman who has moved to the region and is now working as a housekeeper-companion for Irene, a famous fashion designer who has been left blind after an accident. With Manuela comes Juan Camilo, her nine-year-old son who has not spoken a word since arriving in Spain.

What’s clearly at the heart of this novel is the need for communication and stories in lives, especially for those experiencing significant change. Manuela joins a group for storytelling with other immigrants, eager to establish a connection with her past, while her son stays resolutely mute to prevent himself revealing a secret that was shared with him just before he left. Irene is resolute to move forward after her accident, even swimming in the sea like she did before. As someone who has been to the Basque Coast, that is quite a feat. All these narratives come together in a way that feels genuinely organic and real, and the author has a hugely perceptive eye for nuance and depth.

This is a really fabulous book, both simple to read yet often profound, and I can’t believe that it only has 4 ratings on Goodreads. This should have a far wider audience, so seek it out if you have the opportunity!

A short but powerful and deeply affecting book, beautifully written in spare atmospheric prose, with not a wasted word. It tells the story of Manuela who has emigrated from her native Colombia to the Basque region of Spain with her nine-year-old son Juan. Since arriving, Juan has not spoken, and it is only gradually that we discover what prevents him. Manuela herself has found work as a companion-housekeeper to Irene, a renowned dress designer who has become blind. The two do have the words to express themselves and as time goes by find some resolution to their pasts and their current situation, as eventually Juan does too. I loved this book, such a gentle compassionate story narrated with empathy and insight, poignant and relatable.

A formerly famous woman has to come to terms with her sudden onset blindness, a boy needs to reconcile new information about his parentage, while his immigrant mother is working out how to accept her past in Colombia without letting it hold her back from being happy in her new life. As these three people deal with their respective flavor of foreignness they also need to learn how to accept friendship and support from the good people around them.
This was and excellent novel and I really enjoyed it.

Crossing Waters
By Luisa Etxenike

Although this story is barely the length of a novella, it has the emotional scope of a doorstop saga. Translated from the Basque by Lilit Zekulin Thwaites, it is an exploration of sensorial impediment told from three points of view, a dress designer who has become permanently and totally blinded in an accident, a young emigrée from Colombia who cannot allow touch, and her young son who is so terrified to disturb the status quo with a secret, he refuses to speak.

This poetically written, sparse but highly perceptive narrative reveals sadness and pain, but the lightness of tone and redemptive arc make it a story I would happily press into the hands of any reader, with a modicum of caution for HSPs.

Kudos to the translator for capturing the poetic nuances of the original.

Publication date: 22nd October 2024
Thanks to #netgalley and #columbiauniversitypress for the eGalley

In this short but powerful book, we first meet Irene, who is having her daily dip in the ocean in spite of having been blinded in an accident. She used to be a fashion designer and is now coming to grips with her new reality and contemplating her existence. Manuela works for her, doing work around Irene's house and attending a story-sharing group with other immigrants. She considers perhaps writing her story in fictional form one day. She is building a new life, but there is pain in her past life, too, and she is hoping for healing and a fresh start. Manuela's son, Juan/ Juan Camilo, has stopped speaking since he left Columbia. He communicates in writing, does well at school, and gets along with his classmates, but he dares not speak lest he lie or give away a secret that was cruelly thrust upon him. He feels trapped by this secret. All three have experienced trauma.

Once I started reading this book I could not put it down. I was eager to discover if/how each of these characters would move forward in their lives and find healing. I wanted to know what the secrets were and how/if they would be revealed. I wanted them all to be OK.

The book is beautifully written in short chapters, each from the point of view of one of these three. This is more a character-driven book than one that is plot-driven. Even so, it never lagged or got boring. No words were wasted. The bond that formed between the three characters was lovely to read as the book progressed. This is an excellent book and I'm so glad I read it.